


5:15 AM

by orangepeachmango



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Blind Character, Blind Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison, Group Therapy, M/M, Multi, PTSD, Shotgunning, Slow Burn, anxiety/panic attacks, please go easy on me i tried to be as factually based as possible, shower jerk offs, some kind of modern/canon combination, within the canon lore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2017-08-11
Packaged: 2018-09-28 11:14:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10097378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orangepeachmango/pseuds/orangepeachmango
Summary: Gabriel Reyes has been stateside for two years, and he hasn't been assimilating well. He's only just started going to group therapy, and his nightmares keep him up most nights, if the drinking doesn't keep him down. His friend Amélie has always been there for him, but a friend can only help so much. He meets Jack at group and forms a tight friendship, leading into something more. Slowly finding himself again and learning to cope.updates saturday nights!(when I can..)





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have never, nor will i ever, play overwatch. I have also never ever in my life written a fic before! firsts all around.  
> However, i did copious amounts of research and fact gathering to try and present these characters in a way that i think is fitting. Basically i read a shit ton of r76 fics and none of them were quite what i wanted to read, so i wrote my own. There's an awful lot of spanish, french, and military jargon, none of which i speak; so go easy on me. 
> 
> kudos and comments are always appreciated!! Thank you lovelies <3

Gabriel stared across the tight circle of folding chairs at the other group attendees. They were all battered looking, like him, and a couple were crying. He huffed under his breath and rolled his eyes, glancing over at Amélie, giving her a dirty look. She simply ignored him and kept her long legs crossed, turning to watch the rest of the group. She had been dragging him out of his apartment to these damned meetings for almost three weeks now. He hated the atmosphere in this room, the shitty coffee and weak stories. To each his own, but Gabe and Amélie had seen much darker days than these ex-soldiers.

Despite never being the same as she once was, she had fit quite well in civilian life. She’d had support, and all that nonsense. Gotten a job, made something of herself. Gabe had her, but that was about it. She didn’t push him more than she knew he was capable, but they both knew he had been assimilating less than spectacularly and could probably do with a few sharing sessions. If the clawing voice in his gut would shut up and he would get over his pride. He had never heard Amélie share at group, so he didn’t either. She told him he didn’t have to, so he didn’t. He didn’t want to, so he chose not to.

Group ended about an hour and half in, though often it ran for two. Everyone did their part to put the chairs away and clean up; though honestly, the loud banging of metal on metal sent a sliver of panic worming through Gabe’s brain. It was brief and easy to swallow, but there nonetheless. He hated what noises did to him. He used to be all about rocking as loud as possible to anything, but now, anything past 75 decibels set him on edge. He was ready to pack up and ship off but Amélie wanted to stay and chat for a moment. Gabe had no earthly idea why, since she kept a fake smile up the whole time and narrowed her eyes in the ‘i really don’t care’ way, but chat she did. She settled on chatting with a very tall dark woman, who surprisingly gave her the same exact looks as they talked. She shooed Gabe off, telling him to play nice. Gabe wandered through the thinning crowd, huffing and leaning against the wall near the exit, impatient and feeling like a kid at the grocery store waiting for mom. A young korean girl came right up to him and smiled, holding her hand out. Gabe could hardly believe she was there as a vet, she looked not a day past 20.   
“I’m Hana. I’ve seen you come by recently with Amélie, are you two friends?” she asked, still holding her hand out. Gabe carefully took it, shaking curtly and folding his arms.   
“Yeah, we’re friends.” was all he said, giving her an eye and looked away. She seemed undeterred by his attitude.   
“How old are you? I’m trying to convince one of my friends to come to meetings, but he won’t budge. He thinks nobody here will get him, or something. I think you two would get along.” Gabe lifts an eyebrow at her question, not wanting to tell her anything about himself. He scratched the inside of his palm, suddenly every fiber of his being craving a cigarette. She waited for a moment but quickly took his silence in stride and nodded, giving him a smile.  
“Alright. See you next week.” Gabe watched as she brushed past him, wondering what a _chiquita_ like her was doing there.

They sat in silence in the car ride home, Gabe itching at his wrists absently, almost desperate for some smoke in his teeth. Amélie forbade that kind of thing in her very expensive car. He was getting restless from having nothing to flick or put out, stretching and searching his mind for something to talk about.   
“You see that _conejito_ girl there today? How old is she, 12?” He huffed, looking at her for an answer.  
“She’s there every week, Gabe.” Amélie replied without missing a beat. As usual.   
“Oh. Every week?”   
“Yes, _minable_ , have you been listening at all?” Gabe just grunted and stared out the window, wishing they would just get home already. Amélie sighed and kept her eyes forward.   
“She was a drone pilot. I know you think you’re the only one who suffered out there, but there’s more than one way to see war.” Gabe shot her a look, almost protesting but biting his tongue instead. He did not think that. But denying he did would only incite a back and forth that he did not wish to partake in. Amélie pulled up in front of his building and unlocked the doors for him. Giving him a wary glance as he got up.  
“Try to eat and sleep tonight. Don’t get too out of hand.” She warned. “I’ll see you on Thursday for dinner.” Gabe just got out without responding, shutting the door and crossing the street and up into his dingy building. Pensions didn’t pay well. Angry at her for trying to tell him what to do with his night, like he was sick, or some _chato_ who needed her help. Even if she was just trying to help. A pang of guilt sunk in his heart for slamming the door in her face, climbing up the flights of stairs to his door, slamming it at nothing and shuffling over to the shitty balcony, standing in the chill evening air and quickly tapping out a cigarette, lighting it and white knuckling the railing as he tried to relax. The smoke took the edge off his anger, slowly kicking his converse off and sinking into the white plastic patio chair he kept just for this. He stared out over the edge of the balcony at the roofs and apartments, taking the last drag of his smoke and lighting another.

There’s blood all over his hands. He turns to look to his left, a thick pool of blood stagnating in the dirt. Looking back down is the slack jawed dead face of his comrade, he can hear his own heartbeat in his ears, banging so loud it’s almost like screaming. Another loud noise, from far away but so, so close to where he was on his knees. Staring up at the sand, to his feet, running nowhere desperately. There’s another loud crash, even louder than before and it’s right on top of him and he hears real screams and his vision goes white, and-  
And he wakes up. Gabe stares at his plain white ceiling, shifting half an inch and groaning in pain, the crick in his neck shooting down his back. Grunting and putting his hand to his face, wiping his sweat-soaked brow and lifting himself up, despite his body’s protest. He stares blankly at his shabby living room, looking down at his shitty couch and the bottles strewn about his fuckin’ coffee table. They should just call it a beer table.

Gabe spent the next few hours doing absolutely nothing but laying on the couch in a depressive haze, not moving and barely even thinking. Just laying there in the dark. He blinks as if he’s woken up from something, standing up and trudging to the bathroom, turning the shower on. It was like a switch had been flipped and suddenly he could manage functioning again. He strips his clothes and gets in the hot shower, letting it soak his back and hair, lifting soap to his body. He stares down at himself for a moment, regarding his figure. He was getting thin, probably because it turns out if you don’t eat, and just drink until you throw up, you tend to lose weight. He rubbed his cheek, feeling how long his beard was getting and sighing weakly. His CO would have made him shave it right then and there if he ever saw his chin in that shape. If he ever saw anything again. Gabe rubs a hand across his belly, pleased at least that he was still just as hairy as ever, though the top of his head was overdue for a haircut. His hand stopped just below his waist, taking a solid moment to consider rubbing one off. He wasn’t really in the mood.

Post-shower, Gabe headed into his excuse of a kitchen and rifled through the fridge for something to eat. He didn’t usually walk around his house naked, even if he was alone, but at this moment he just didn’t have the energy to care. He found something he figured Amélie must have put there, because he never would have bought it himself. Setting it in the microwave for a few minutes, taking it out on the ding and digging in, realizing he hadn’t eaten since.. Well since before group, yesterday. Several hours before group, yesterday. He lazily turns on the TV and mindlessly watches whatever was on and consumed his microwave dinner. Something about the way you put it into the microwave and instantly had a meal reminded him of MREs. Even though they were vile and tasted like cardboard, it was familiar and something he could hold onto.

Amélie showed up for dinner on Thursday, two days later, like she always did. Promptly at 4PM. Gabe was usually at least dressed and willing, but today he was on the floor of his bathroom, and not having any of it. Amélie stared at his unconscious limp body, scrunching her nose at the thick scent of vomit and alcohol in the air. Wondering how soon he would die if she just stopped coming over. She often wondered what would he do without her, and even if he never mentioned it, she knew he was grateful for her support. But mentioning it at least once in a blue moon would be nice. She rolled her sleeves up and lifted him off the floor, dragging him into the shower. She ignored his clothed body and turned the cold water on, stepping back and letting him shock himself awake. He sputtered and wildly waved his arms, gasping and almost leaping into a defensive stance. How he had that energy she did not know.  
“You stupidt _con_ , Thursday's dinner day, you know that,” she barked, giving him a stern glare. He looked up at her weakly, sitting back down in the shower and rubbing his eyes and wiping water off his mouth. He slowly started undressing, leaving his sopping wet clothes on the bottom of the shower but letting the cold water wake him up. She just narrowed her eyes and watched him. Not perturbed by his naked body. They had shared too much in the field to be shy now. He apologized and got out, toweling himself dry and biting back his searing migraine to his room, getting dressed and stepping into the living room where she was waiting on the couch. She strode silently past him and out the door, and he followed suit.


	2. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gabe is a sad old gay man! Jack brings light to his life.   
> As usual, I don't play overwatch, i don't speak spanish or french, and i'm not in the military. and away we go!
> 
> kudos and comments are always appreciated!! Thank you lovelies <3

Next tuesday came slow and with much drinking and many more nightmares. Amélie came to get him and he behaved and got in the car like he was told. He felt bad for making her pick him up off the floor last week, again. She’d better appreciate his good behavior today, it was likely to wear off quickly. They arrived early and he spent a few minutes outside on a smoke, preparing himself for what was to come. He sat in his place beside Amélie when he was done, shifting uncomfortably in the metal folding chair. He recognized the korean girl from last week. Hannah..? Holly? He strained to remember her name. Even though everyone just gave theirs up again to the group, like they did every week. With a sharp noise the exit door opened and someone came in a little late, he was walking slow and seemed a little unsure of where he was.  _ Conejito _ jumped up and ran to his side, leading him towards the circle. Gabe could tell there was something wrong with him, the way he tilted his head and wore glasses inside and seemed unsure of his step lead Gabe to believe he was likely blind. He sat in a brought up chair next to the girl, and she smiled triumphantly. She whispered at him and he mumbled aloud that his name was Jack. The leader, a tired-looking but sweet blonde lady welcomed him and told him she was pleased to see new faces this week. 

Jack was inordinately blonde, his hair was almost white; but he didn’t seem that old. He looked not much older than himself, but his face was grizzled with scars and laughlines. Gabe looked him up and down, and as Jack leaned back in his chair, he got a clear view of his toned body. He was well fit but a little thin, not unlike himself. He had this certain tilt of his head and the way he stared off straight ahead regardless of who was speaking that Gabe found a little cute. He knew it was because he was blind, and looking in any direction made no difference, but he also had the feeling it was because part of Jack just didn’t care to listen, either. He liked that. He couldn’t take his eyes off Jack the entire group, watching his reactions and the way his lips drew thin when he disagreed with something that was said. He was a little embarrassed to be watching Jack so openly, but since Jack wouldn’t know… 

When group ended Gabe hoped Amélie would take some time to chat with one of the ladies. For once he was pleased when she did, shooing him off to “play nice”. He immediately walked up to Jack and Hana, though once he got up to them, he realized he had nothing of note to say. He just wanted to get close. Thankfully Hana recognized him and gave him a smile.  
“Hey there! This is exactly who i’d hoped we’d see today, Jack. This is Gabe. He’s your age, I think. I don’t know actually. He didn’t tell me. But he looks damn old, just like you.” She was obviously close to Jack and spoke to him freely, but the old comment caught Gabe a little off guard and it set him a little on edge. He wasn’t that old. 35 isn’t old. Maybe to a 9 year old like herself it was, though. Jack gave him a curt nod, putting his hand out.   
“Sergeant Major Jack Morrison,” His voice was gravelly and it sounded like he hadn’t talked in a year. Gabe quickly took his hand, not wanting him to feel foolish for sticking his hand out at nothing.   
“Sergeant Major Gabriel Reyes,” he responded, pleased with getting to pull rank for the first time since he’d been home. Gabe noticed the thin smile tug on Jack’s lips, shaking his hand firmly in reply. Dropping his hand and rubbing the back of his head absently. Hana said something else but Gabe wasn’t listening. He was surprised when she ran off to speak to the Australian, leaving the two of them alone.   
“How long have you been stateside?” Jack asked, clearly looking for something to break the silence.   
“Almost two years. You?”   
“Almost three.” Gabe nodded, thinking that he must have been sent home when his eyes got… bunked. Gabe found himself with nothing else to speak about, nothing coming to his brain, just wanting to look at Jack more. Part of him felt stupid for feeling something so quickly about anybody, was he a _chiquita_ in the third grade?   
“I uh… Don’t usually come to this sort of thing. Hana nearly dragged me.” Jack admitted, shifting his weight, clearly starting to get uncomfortable just not talking. Gabe mentally smacked himself for standing so blankly next to somebody who couldn't tell he was just admiring his body.   
“Oh, I uh… Yeah. My friend, Amélie, drags me.” Gabe replied, suddenly a little embarrassed.  
“Oh. Maybe I should just stay home then, I think. I didn’t hear a lot of relatable stories today.” Gabe nearly jumped at the thought of never seeing him again, jutting his hand out to put it on Jack’s forearm. Why he did that, he didn’t fucki’n know.   
“No, you should come back. I know it’s a little drab, but they tell good stories sometimes.” Smacking himself again for sounding so desperate. Jack nearly jumped out of his skin from the touch on his arm, turning his head down to face Gabe’s hand. Gabe pulled away quickly, muttering an apology under his breath. Jack was silent for a moment, before speaking quietly.   
“Do you ever share?” He asked. The question was small enough, but Gabe suddenly felt like he was on spotlight.   
“I… no, I haven’t yet.” He admitted. Jack looked a little crestfallen, his lips drawing that thin displeased line.   
“Oh. I see. Are you frightened?”   
“No, I ain’t frightened, _es_ é. I just don’t see the point.” Gabe grumbled. Jack kept his stern displeased look.   
“I’d like to hear your stories. I think we’d have some in common.” He pressed. Gabe could feel a spike of frustration well in his gut, trying to force it down so he wouldn’t explode on him. He huffed and itched at his wrist absently instead. Craving a smoke. He was flushed with relief when Amélie came up behind him, coughing and signalling him to leave. He apologized and bid goodbye to Jack, desperate to get out of there and save his skin. Jack shook his hand respectfully but clearly seemed a little put off. Hana was right about them getting along, kinda.

Gabe hated that the whole car ride home and the whole evening there was nothing on his mind but Jack. This man he barely even knew, this acquaintance of his, was sucking up his entire brain space. Of course, his brain space was filled with thoughts of Jack sucking on something else, but Gabe had enough decorum to push it away until he knew him better. 

He had never had to hide his sexuality in the field. He knew that was atypical of the military experience, but he had just never had to. He flirted with enough women that the right men weren’t paying attention, and flirted with the right men so that enough senior officers weren’t paying attention. He was also, admittedly, a beast in the field, and nobody wanted to see him go. He was special ops, and secrecy was kinda his thing. He managed to spend his fair share of nights with other officers undetected. 

That didn’t mean that Jack was gay, or anything. He had no way of knowing Jack reciprocated any of his feelings, and if anything, the only evidence he had lead him to believe opposite. He wasn’t looking for a relationship anyway. With his fucked up life, who would want to go on a date with a guy who couldn’t be in a car if the radio was up too loud? Or a restaurant if the patrons were too loud? Or anywhere public at all if there was anybody screaming about anything? Damn he hated himself. He lit a cigarette and took long drags as he stood on his balcony. 

He felt as though the entire week was moving at about .5 miles per hour. Everything seemed so slow, as if time had stopped. Drinking sped it up a little, thought every time he woke out of a stupor, he could hardly believe it had only been several hours when he was hoping for a whole day. He was a little disoriented when Amélie arrived for thursday dinner, but quickly got himself together with no protest. He needed to get out of the house. Take his mind of whatever it was his mind was drowned in. She wasn’t a fool, and picked up on his attitude immediately.  
“Are you alright? You seem… Distracted.” She was driving them to somewhere, Gabe didn’t know where. Well he knew it was a food establishment of some kind, but he didn’t know which one. He was kind of craving some good old fashioned _sopapillas_.   
“I’m fine,” He grunted in response, not really knowing what else to say. I’m obsessing over someone I barely know? She wasted no time accepting his answer and moving on.  
“I could use your company this weekend. I’m working on a project with someone from group. I think you’d enjoy it.” She seemed a little apprehensive to ask him, and he wondered why. Was she hiding something?  
“A project? With someone from group…?” He raised an eyebrow. How unlike her, to partake in anybody else’s company willingly. “What the hell does ‘project’ mean?”   
“It’s just a project. For some people who need it. It’s an outside thing. I think you’d enjoy it.” She repeated. He was starting to get annoyed, she was dodging the question. She was hiding something.   
“What are you keeping from me, _araña_?” He gruffed, giving her a hard stare. She just kept her eyes on the road.   
“Nothing. I just think you’d have a good time.” She furrowed her brow and the edge of her lip seemed to lift in the beginnings of a snarl. He didn’t want to make her upset, but he also didn’t want to run blindly into this ‘outdoor project’ of hers. He stayed silent instead, turning his head to look out the window. Sighing after a long moment.   
“It’s on Saturday. The 27 goes right to the Vet’s Center. 10 AM.” He groaned in response, realising that was the thing she was hiding.   
“The Vet’s? What kind of ‘outdoor project’ is this?” He was unprepared for her snap, as she took a moment to glare at him.  
“Just be there, Gabriel. Wear something you can work in.” He gave her a blank look of surprise, and she turned face back to the road.   
“ _S'il vous plaît_ ,” She amended. She sounded tired. He huffed in frustration but decided not to argue.   
“Fine.” His voice was low and clearly thick with annoyance. She paid it no mind. Dinner was mostly quiet after that. 


	3. 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am going out of town tomorrow unexpectedly for a Convention, so I won't have time to update tomorrow night. Expect back to regular saturday updates when I return home :)
> 
> Would you prefer I do two updates a week? let me know! there's plenty to get through before it's finished! 
> 
> As always, i dont play overwatch, I don't speak spanish, french, OR german in this case, and i'm not in the military. lets get to it!  
> kudos and comments are always appreciated!! Thank you lovelies <3

Saturday crept up on him with surprising force. He was awoken from his slumber by the annoying chirping of his phone. He hadn’t set a damn alarm, why was it making that noise? He lumbered off the couch to pick it up, seeing it was a phone call not an alarm. Ah, shit. It was already 10:00. That… Outdoor thing she wanted him to come to. He decided not to pick it up but to just leave for it instead. He quickly threw on a tank top and khaki shorts, trudging his way to the bus stop. He hadn’t eaten yet, which wasn’t ideal for outdoor work, but maybe there was going to be lunch there. He didn’t know. The bus ride was mostly silent, though sometimes it made these loud  _ chunking _ noises that nearly sent his skeleton running. He forced himself to stay calm and got off just in front of the Veteran’s Memorial Center. A large convention-type building. He hated that the other people on the bus could infer something about him, by the way he got off at this stop. Though in all likelihood, they did not even see him let alone cared what stop he was getting off at. Anxiety be damned. 

It was easy to find the group of people Amélie had gathered for her ‘project’,  it was a ragtag group of worn-out looking individuals carrying shovels and potted plants. He recognized some of them as people from group. He grimaced as he figured out what they were doing. Planting a garden. A ‘healing garden’ or something. Because that’s what healed a Vet’s troubles. Nice flowers and allergies. That was so uncharacteristic of her. It  _ must _ have been somebody else’s idea. He gruffly bumped Amélie on the shoulder as he arrived, and she gave him a look and took a spare moment to glare. She didn’t chastise him for being late, but he could tell he let her down. Lovely. She handed him a shovel and told him to start digging, just by a very very large man with a beard. Gabe had never felt inadequate before about his body, in any sense of the feeling, but staring up at this monster of a man made him suddenly feel a little self conscious. He had a booming voice that sent a shiver down Gabe’s spine, and a hand as big as Gabe’s head. He clapped it over Gabe’s back in welcome and he suddenly felt like he was going to vomit.  
“ _ Willkommen, mein Junge _ !” Gabe knew snippets of various languages, in addition to the two he spoke fluently, but he knew very little german. It wasn’t who they were fighting when he was overseas, and there just wasn’t a need. He swallowed down his rising stomach and tried not to shake in terror as this man’s voice vibrated in his chest.   
“ _ Hola, esé, _ ” he replied weakly. Wringing his hands on the staff of his shovel, trying his best to stay calm. He could dismantle a ticking bomb and carry hostages out of a burning building, but loud men sent him running. God he hated himself.   
“ _ Generalleutnant _ Reinhardt Wilhelm  _ der zweite _ ,” He said in that booming voice. Gabe was having trouble keeping up. He didn’t know german rank order, but if he had to guess, that was likely at least himself or above. He passively wondered what Reinhardt was doing in America in the first place, if he was a member of the german army. And if he spoke any english. He kept his voice low, afraid that if he spoke too loud he might get in a screaming match with him. Also he was afraid that if he spoke too loud, Reinhardt would notice the fear in his voice.  
“Sergeant Major Gabriel Reyes,” he replied. Again, it felt good to pull rank. Reinhardt gave him a smile and cut his shovel into the dirt as if it were melted butter. Gabe swallowed hard. He must have been an absolute tank in the field. Reinhardt looked like he was going to say something next, but looked past Gabe and gave an even wider smile, dropping his shovel and barrelling past him. Gabe turned to see what drew his attention, feeling a shock of embarrassment run through him. There was Jack, walking towards the group. He must have taken the bus or something. Reinhardt greeted him warmly, and even from their distance Gabe could hear what he said to him.  
“ _ Es ist so schön, dich zu sehen! _ ” He boomed, clapping Jack on the shoulder similar to the way he had just clocked Gabe. Jack gave him a weary smile and nodded, but Gabe couldn’t hear what he said. He found himself walking towards them, stopping as they got close. Reinhardt gave him a questioning look when he just stood there like a dumb puppy, taking a moment to come back to himself.   
“Ah, uh, shit… I didn’t know you were coming to this… thing, Jack.” Gabe fumbled over his words and could have slammed himself against a wall for how stupid he felt. In the past he had been a smooth operator, he cursed himself for losing his edge.  Jack tilted his head and gave him a thin smile.   
“I remember you. I didn’t know you would be here either.” Why did Jack remember him just from his voice? His mind ran with questions but Reinhardt was having none of it and pushed a shovel into Jack’s hands.  
“Just because you are blind,  _ mein Junge _ , doesn’t mean you can’t work.” Jack removed his glasses and the corners of his eyes scrunched up as he smiled. He had thick crow’s feet on the edges of his milky eyes and Gabe couldn’t bring himself to look away. He knew Jack’s eyes must have been blue, but he hadn’t realised the whole thing would be blue, and such an enticing icy shade. He felt as if his ears were on fire from blushing, and forced his head away. Jack gave his thanks to Reinhardt for giving him work, but turned back to Gabe.   
“Can you show me where to dig?” Gabe looked up at him in surprise. Reinhardt looked a little crestfallen that his friend was ditching him, but he was a military man and could tell a dismissal when he heard one. He gave Jack another pat on the shoulder to save face and said he was going to catch up with “ _ Meine Liebe, _ ” whatever that was. Gabe was stunned that Jack chose a stranger over his clear friend, but rubbed the back of his neck and nodded. Wincing after a moment of silence, releasing he had just nodded at nothing.   
“Uh, Yeah. Over here.” Jack used the shovel like a stick, checking the ground a little before he stepped on it. Gabe flustered, not knowing how to help him, or if he should at all. When they returned to where Gabe was just digging with Reinhardt, he noticed that someone had placed small packages of flowers near their holes. That must be what they’re supposed to plant there, he figured. Jack tapped his spade against the dirt impatiently and coughed.   
“Here…?” He asked, testing the dirt. Gabe moved without thinking, putting his hands on Jack’s shoulders and positioning him closer to where Reinhardt had started. He glanced away too quickly to tell, but he almost swore Jack’s cheeks were red.   
“Just a little over here. That guy uh… already started,” Gabe explained, moving away and picking his own shovel back up.   
“How long do I dig for?” Jack asked, clumsily putting his foot on the spade and shoving it in, dumping the dirt surprisingly close to the pile already started. Gabe figured some things were just better left to muscle memory. He realized he didn’t know the answer to Jack’s question.   
“I uh… don’t know. I guess as deep as the plant, right?” He asked, not knowing if Jack had any gardening knowledge. He didn’t miss a beat.   
“As deep as the root bundle,” Jack answered. This time he did blush, tilting his head a little. “How big are the plants?” he asked, holding out his hand. Gabe stuttered and reached down to pick up the plastic container, handing it to Jack. Jack leaned his shovel into his elbow and felt the plastic for a moment. Rubbing his fingers over the leaves and petals. Gabe stared hungrily as he felt the plant up, wishing it was him under there. His fingers were probably calloused, like his own. Rough texture but gentle touch.   
“Describe the flower to me,” Jack said, handing the plastic container back to Gabe. He took it and put it back on the ground.   
“They’re uh… I don’t know. Purple? With black centers?” Gabe really knew nothing about flowers, or gardening, or how deep to dig a hole.  
“Pansies,” Jack replied.   
“Who?” Gabe asked, certain Jack was referring to a person.  
“What?” Jack looked taken aback, his brow furrowing. “No, the flowers. They are called pansies.” Gabe felt stupid, of course they were flowers. That was dumb.  
“Oh.” Was his only reply. If he opened his damn mouth any wider, something even more stupid would come out. Jack just kept silent and dug a little deeper, getting down on his knees and testing his hand in the dirt. Holding it out to Gabe. He stood there for a minute, thinking he might have been asking for his hand. But realizing he only wanted the flowers. _ Trate de no ser estúpido por una vez, ¿de acuerdo?  _ Gabe knelt down next to him and handed him the plastic container. Jack quickly took it and pulled the flower out, breaking up the roots with his hand. Gabe didn’t know how to plant flowers, but it looked like he was ruining it.   
“Is that… how you’re supposed to do it?” Gabe asked. He didn’t want Amélie’s garden ruined by a blind man with a shovel. Jack didn’t answer, only broke up the roots and put the flower in the hole he dug, returning some dirt to cover it, making it flush with the ground around it. It looked nice.   
“I’m a farmboy from Indiana, I think I know how to plant a garden.” Jack muttered gruffly.  
“Well I didn’t know that,  _ esé _ .” Gabe grunted back, getting up to finish his hole. Taking the next flower out and trying to copy what he had seen Jack do, nervous about hurting it. Jack ran his hands over the flower he just dug and determined where he should put the next one. He seemed overly worried about the placement, and making sure it looked nice. Not that he could look.   
“This is easier with a trowel,” Jack admitted. “Do you know if there are any?” That was something Gabe knew. He was in the army. Not every location they went to had bathrooms. Trowels were a necessity.   
“I can look. Give me a minute,” Gabe answered. He felt like being around Jack settled him in a way, made him more willing to help, and to not be an asshole. He wanted to make things easier for Jack, and he had a suspicion that it wasn’t just because Jack was blind. He hurried over to Amélie, asking her for the tool. She handed him two and gave him a look.   
“Are you having fun yet?”  
“Why did you put me next to the german? He scared the shit out of me,” Gabe snapped. Amélie looked behind him at Jack.   
“I didn’t,” She said blankly. Gabe rolled his eyes.  
“Well he’s gone now, but he was there. You heard him,” He was a little angry that she had done that. She knew he was sensitive to that shit.   
“I’m sorry Gabe, I don’t know him. I didn’t know.” She said. She seemed actually concerned. She gave him a worried look and moved to put her hand on his shoulder. He pulled away and took the trowels. Returning to his spot with Jack, muttering under his breath and putting one of them in Jack’s hands. Jack nearly jumped with surprise at his touch but gratefully took it.   
“Thank you,” he said quietly. Gabe just kept his mouth shut. Jack ran his hand over the spade for a moment, checking its length. Putting it in the dirt and digging a new hole, holding his hand out for the next flower. They filled the small plot area like this in silence for the next hour, sweating in the rising heat and pulling away when there were no more spots left to admire their work. Well Gabe admired. Jack just stared blankly at the plot.   
“It looks good,” Gabe offered. Jack just nodded. It did look good, and he didn’t want his praise to fall unnoticed. “I like your side better. You actually knew what you were doing,” Gabe mused. Jack snickered a little, wiping dirt off his hands.   
“I used to plant with my mother, when I was a kid.” He replied, wiping his hands on his jeans. Gabe was a little surprised, and his curiousity got the better of him.  
“You weren’t uh… born blind, right?” He asked. He didn’t know if that was a rude question, but it felt like one. He knew he hadn’t, because he wouldn’t have been enlisted if he was.   
“No,” Jack answered in a sigh. He looked as though he might’ve wanted to say more, but just drew his lips in a thin line instead. Gabe dropped it.   
“So…  _ granjero _ , you’re from Indiana?” He asked, leaning his weight on his shovel. Jack shifted his weight and nodded. His head was turned forward instead of looking at Gabe. Gabe knew it was because of his eyes, but again, he kind of liked that quirk.   
“Yeah, born and raised. I’m guessing you’re not from a farm,” He sneered jokingly, and Gabe laughed.   
“No, I’m from L.A.”  
“Ah, a city-slicker,” Jack jeered. Gabe blushed and shrugged.   
“Yeah, pretty much.” He felt like his chest was finally breathing for the first time, like some sort of tension was gone. He didn’t have to try to act a certain way, Jack could keep up with his snide attitude and shoot back in his own. He liked how easy the flow was between them. Amélie came behind him and patted Gabe on the shoulder.   
“We are starting to pack up. Thanks for working so hard, both of you. Your plot looks great,” she had a thin fake smile on, but Jack wouldn’t have been able to tell. Her voice sounded genuine. She was a hell of an actress.   
“My pleasure, madame Lacroix,” Jack replied. She gave him a little bit of a shocked glance, and stared back at Gabe, who only shrugged. He didn’t know who told Jack her name, or that she was french. She eyed him but smiled and said thank you again, walking off. Jack turned to actually face Gabe, and his question kind of stunned him.  
“Where are you going now? Home?” Gabe searched his mind, wondering why Jack would be asking him that. Was he trying to find out something about him? Was he a sleeper agent or something? Gabe didn’t know why his brain jumped to that. He cursed himself for being so paranoid.   
“Uh… yeah, probably.” was his only reply.   
“Are you hungry?” Jack asked. Gabe blinked in confusion.  
“I uh… guess so, yeah.”   
“We could go out for lunch. My treat,” He added, and Gabe felt floored. Why was he offering? He was in no position to turn down a free meal, and he nearly jumped at the chance to spend more time with Jack.  
“Yeah, uh. Sure. That sounds nice,” He blushed and cleared his throat. Jack nodded.  
“Sorry, I don’t drive. I bus.” The corners of his mouth tugged up and Gabe could see those crow’s feet on the edge of his eyes.   
“Conveniently for you, neither do I.” Gabe mused, laughing to himself. Jack smiled wider and nodded.   
“Alright then. I trust you to take me somewhere good,” He said. Gabe racked his brain in a panic for ‘somewhere good’. Jack trusted him…? They barely knew each other. He remembered his craving for  _ sopapillas  _ the other day.   
“Do you like mexican?” He asked, searching his brain through known good mexican places. He knew some good holes in the walls. Jack seemed to have a wry edge to his laugh, as if something else was funny about what Gabe had said.  
“Yeah, I do.” 


	4. 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nearly forgot to update today. oops!   
> just wanna let you know, it starts off strong with a ptsd attack, so just be careful and take care of yourself. this one's also pretty short, so i'm gonna upload two for you guys.
> 
> As always, i dont play overwatch, I don't speak spanish or french, and i'm not in the military. follow me!   
> kudos and comments are always appreciated!! Thank you lovelies <3

The bus was really loud, and he was freaking the fuck out. He tried really hard to swallow his panic, but this particular bus was making a lot of noise and it was overly crowded, and everybody had something to say. He sat in his seat, pressed against the window, hoping to get a little bit of something cold on his face. He was breathing really hard and his vision was going kind of black. Jack sat neatly next to him, and he didn’t seem to notice what was happening to him. He thanked the lord that Jack couldn’t see him right now, in his disheveled state. He was thoroughly embarrassed, he couldn’t believe his body was pulling this shit today. He was trying to have a good time out with his new… friend… and his body was betraying him. Freaking out about freaking out was only making his freak out worse. It was like his vision was slurred, he was seeing double and the edges of his vision were blacking out, like it was being burned. His heart was pounding in his throat and the cackling laughter of some teenage girls made him jump. It sounded so much like screaming. He was sucked back into the field, and oh god, where was his gun? Where was it? It wasn’t on his hip, and he was sitting. Oh, he was sitting in a jumper, about to fall to enemy lines. He was strapped in and chest ached from the kevlar. He looked to his right and there were his comrades, strapped in as well. He panicked as they fell out of vision as he dropped through the air and his parachute would be going soon and-  
“Are you alright?” A hand on his shoulder. He snapped back to reality and barked into the air, waving his hand and almost punching Jack full on the jaw. The people on the bus hushed to a standstill and Jack caught his fist mid-air. “Hey, it’s okay,” he said quietly. Everyone stared for a moment and Gabe panted roughly, not sure where he had been for the past hour. He stared at Jack and Jack looked back at him, almost through his misty eyes. As if he was seeing him. Gabe muttered a sorry and everyone went back to talking almost immediately. The noise was unbearable and he had to get off that bus. He tugged the call bell and moved to get up, giving Jack a slight push. Jack hopped up and grumbled as he bumped into people.   
“Blind man coming through!” Jack barked, putting his hand out. People parted as best they could and the two of them stepped off the bus. Gabe immediately ran to the stop bench, sitting down and burying his head in his hands. He was so desperately sorry for ruining what was going to be a fun outing, but no words came and he just sobbed instead. He was a quiet crier, learning over time to hold it in. Jack stumbled a little but found the bench, putting his hands over it and sitting down. He didn’t seem mad. He simply rubbed Gabe’s back gently and leaned his head onto Gabe’s shoulder. Lacing an arm around Gabe’s bicep and holding him tightly, but with enough slack so Gabe didn’t feel trapped. After a few minutes Gabe sighed weakly and glanced over at Jack, suddenly aware of how close he was. Clearing his throat and hiding the shudder in his voice.   
“What are you doing,  _ granjero _ …?” His voice was weak and quiet. Jack smiled and hugged him a little tighter, glad he was back.  
“I know what happened. It’s okay,” Was his only reply. Gabe felt a pang of guilt and slowly put his hand over Jack’s, rubbing his knuckles. Jack buried his nose against Gabe’s shoulder and closed his eyes. They stayed hugging for another long few minutes, Gabe suddenly growing uncomfortable and coughing, pulling away. Jack didn’t argue, just dropped his hands and stared at the ground.   
“How about we just order in instead?” he asked. Gabe snickered under his breath, realizing that implied that they just go back to one of their houses. Together. 

Jack’s house was impeccably clean. He supposed it had to be, so he could find anything. The cabinets had little labels on them with raised letters. Things in the fridge had certain spots, like bread in this corner, milk in the door, beer on this shelf. It was all very neat and had the semblance that Jack really had his civilian life together. Gabe didn’t know how much of that was surface level though. Getting from the random bus stop they got off at back to Jack’s house was almost a nightmare. Transferring from bus to bus to walking and waiting would have been awful, so they gave up and just called a cab. Gabe refused to let Jack pay for it. It was his fault they were in this mess. It was quite a tab, but Gabe told himself he would cut on the drinking for the next couple weeks. If he could. Jack had suggested they call ahead and order food, so they wouldn’t have to wait for long at home. Gabe originally only ordered one thing, but Jack pressured him into getting anything he wanted, saying it was his treat. Gabe felt guilty but Jack was firm and he ordered a few dishes, including  _ sopapillas _ for dessert. Jack had never had them before, and Gabe swore that even though his  _ abuela’s _ were the best, this joint had very good ones, and he would not be disappointed. True to Jack’s words, they only had to wait for 15 minutes once they got to his place for the food to arrive. Jack handed Gabe his wallet and said there might be cash in it, but if not, just to use his card. He was relieved to find a few twenties, and he wondered how Jack could use cash when American money had no form of identifying marker on them. He paid the good man and brought the food to the couch, sitting close to Jack. Jack had brought out beers, and Gabe felt his mouth go dry. He would just have one, he promised himself. They ate in moderate silence, which was fine by Gabe. It meant the food was good. When they had finished their entrees, Gabe busted out the box of  _ sopapillas _ and put one in Jack’s hand. He sniffed at it and took a bite, humming pleasantly. Gabe smiled, liking that look on his face.  
“It’s like a  _ beignet _ ,” Jack hummed. Gabe nodded but quickly added,  
“Yeah, Amélie tells me the same.” He was pleased when Jack wolfed down his share of them, downing the rest of his beer and sighing happily. Gabe liked to slowly eat his, they reminded him of good times, before shit went down. He blushed in surprise when Jack leaned over and got comfortable in the crook against Gabe’s side; but didn’t argue. He felt embarrassed, not sure if Jack was hitting on him or if he was just touchy. He craved a cigarette, even though he had taken the time to spot one at the bus stop. After a few moments Jack sits half up, reaching on the table for something. Finding the remote and handing it to Gabe.   
“Put on something you like,” he said softly. Gabe felt bad, wondering what it was like to have to listen to all TV, never seeing it. He took the remote and turned it on, searching the channels for something good. There was a dodgers game on, and he was mildly interested.   
“Baseball alright?” he asked, drawing his arm a little tighter around Jack’s shoulders. He nodded, pressing his cheek against gabe’s shoulder.   
“Sports are good, they describe everything that’s happening all the time.” Jack admitted. Gabe snickers a little and turned it on, getting a quick read on the game. They stayed like that for the rest of the game, hunkered down against each other on Jack’s couch. 

Gabe became dimly aware that as the afternoon waned into evening, none of the lights had been turned on in the house when they entered. Which made sense. Jack wouldn’t need to. But now it was just plain  _ dark _ , and he couldn’t really see anything, except for what the TV illuminated. His eyesight didn’t go untouched in the war, he had trouble seeing really far away and in general things at night. Gabe heard a small noise and turned his attention down, looking at Jack. His chest was rising and falling slowly, and his eyes were closed. Great. He was asleep. He was at Jack’s house and Jack had fallen asleep on him. He didn’t know what to do next. Should he leave? Should he stay? Both options seemed like the wrong one. He didn’t want to wake him up, but he didn’t know what else to do, so he gently put a hand on Jack’s shoulder and gave him a light push. Jack blinked awake and put a hand out to hold onto Gabe’s chest.   
“Gabe…?” He said slowly. Gabe nodded but slowly pulled away from Jack’s body.  
“Yeah. I think it’s pretty late…” He should probably go home before he got too brave and rushed into something. “The game’s over.” He added. Jack nodded and rubbed his eyes, detaching from Gabe’s body as he pulled away.   
“Can you get home alright?” He asked, letting out a yawn. Gabe thought for a moment. Could he? He saw a bus stop on their way in. He could figure it out. He had taken up enough of Jack’s time already.  
“Yeah, I can get home. I’ll see you Tuesday, alright?” He slowly got up, putting his shoes back on. The itch for a cigarette almost consuming him.   
“Yeah, alright. See you.” Jack mumbled. Laying back down on the couch and closing his eyes. He looked so peaceful. Gabe quickly let himself out, walking in the cold air down to the bus stop. Realizing that he hadn’t brought a jacket with him, just his tank top. But he was warm inside, feeling all fuzzy in his gut. The cigarette in his fingers helped. 


	5. 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you lucky ducks! getting two in one week. im thinking about doing a mchanzo one next. something significantly shorter ghfjgh ..let me know if that interests you.
> 
> we finally get some nsfw in this one! hooray! im uploading this one today with the other since theyre both fairly short. 
> 
> As always, i dont play overwatch, I don't speak spanish or french, and i'm not in the military. jump on it!  
> kudos and comments are always appreciated!! Thank you lovelies <3

Jack was worried he was being too forward with Gabe. He seemed jumpy, and after his spell on the bus, he clearly had more on his mind than a relationship. Not that Jack wanted one. But he did like Gabe, he liked the sound of his voice and the feel of his rough skin. He was bigger than Jack, and he had a certain feeling of safety in his arms. He liked the way gabe slipped little bits of spanish into his voice, and the way he curled ‘r’s on his tongue and the way he didn’t shy away from being touched. He was certain Gabe liked him back, but he didn’t want to rush either of them. Jack hadn’t been with anybody in a very long time, and he wasn’t sure he could handle suddenly dropping in bed with someone. He wondered how long it had been since Gabe had been with anybody. He wondered what Gabe looked like. He sounded handsome. He really wanted to touch his face to feel, but he didn’t want to weird him out. Jack hadn’t ever really defined himself as gay, because of the trouble it brought back home in Indiana. He wasn’t opposed to being with women. He’d had girlfriends before. If he had to pick a term he would probably say Bisexual. But he really didn’t like the sound of that and he really didn’t want a label at all, he just wanted to be Jack. He’d run into trouble as a young man in Indiana, for looking the wrong way at someone in the locker room. The military hadn’t been much different. He was of high rank, and a lethal soldier in the field, but he fumbled with trying to hide himself. He just wanted things to be normal, as normal as they were for straight people. But they weren’t. And pretending they were in an atmosphere like the army only gave him black eyes. 

He awoke the next morning after Gabe had left. He slept on the couch and it gave him a sore neck but he shook it off and got up. Putting one hand on the wall to find his way to the bathroom. After he relieved himself he turned on the shower, testing the water with his hand. He’d had a single handle faucet installed into his shower to make it easier on himself. The person he bought the house from had been rather accommodating with helping him get things fixed so he could live there. Doors taken off, hardware replaced, light bulbs taken out. He saved a killing on electricity at least. He stripped naked and jumped into the shower, letting the hot water run over him. He loved showers, it was the one place where the only noise was running water and it was just him and he could just be. His doctor had suggested he go swimming more, or find somewhere to do sensory deprivation, but he had never looked into it. Showers were good enough for now. He ran his hands over his body, not bothering to wash his hair today. His mind strayed at the thought of Gabe, desperate to know what his body looked like. Trying to put together past thoughts and images to make what he thought he might look like, but it was like trying to put together a puzzle when all the pieces had been flipped over. He had the right idea, but the pictures just wouldn't come. So instead he thought about Gabe’s voice. Remembering how deep it was, and how it vibrated in his chest when he spoke. Remembering the sound of the way he rolled his accents, just a twinge of evidence that he spoke another language. The way he called Jack  _ granjero _ , even though he didn’t know what that meant. He would have to ask Siri. At some point he had started to jerk off, but he didn’t know when. Just thinking about the way Gabe touched cautiously, as if he was afraid he was going to hurt Jack. As if. Jack wasn’t delicate. The way he smelled like smoke and pepper spice, a very earthy smell that clung to him everywhere. The way he sounded like gravel, like if he sung he would sing bass. Gabe was extremely Johnny Cash, and it really got Jack’s blood flowing. He picked up speed, rubbing his palm down his shaft and twisting his wrist, letting out an obscene moan as his breath caught in his throat, thinking about Gabe’s broad hands on his body, about what it would feel like to kiss him, what it would feel like, and smell like, and taste like, and-    
And he went over, cum dripping down his hand and onto the tile, his thighs shaking weakly. He sighed as he came down off it, washing himself and finishing up, stepping out of the shower and grabbing a towel. He couldn’t remember the last time he jerked off, in the shower or otherwise. Was he 14 again? Stealing glances at the guy he was crushing on, secretly thinking about him in the shower? How embarrassing.

Ana came by a few hours later. He was glad to hang out with her, and they went for lunch together. She could tell something was up with him, and he didn’t even mean to sound so distracted.  
“Are you alright? Did you have fun at that gardening thing yesterday?”  she asked. Ana was a close friend, and he had told her about it in case anything went wrong and he needed to be picked up. She was always willing to come get him, but he often felt like he was bothering her. Sometimes life just gets too much and you have to come be picked up by a dear friend.   
“I did, yeah. I’m fine. Just thinking,” he tried to skirt around the question but she was having none of it.   
“Did something go wrong?” She seemed concerned. She didn’t like it when he went somewhere new without her, she was always babying him and worried that he would trip and die or something.  
“No, nothing went wrong. I just…” He hesitated telling her about Gabe, he didn’t want her thinking it was more than it was. “I just met somebody, that’s all.” He tried to play it off so she wouldn’t read into it.   
“Oh, that’s great!” She sounded like he had just announced he was engaged. “Who is it? Are they nice?” He laughed to himself. He wouldn’t really consider Gabe a ‘nice’ person at first.   
“He’s nice to me. He’s kind of rough around the edges, though,” he admitted. He could almost hear her face muscles working into a big smile.   
“Where did you meet him? At this gardening thing?”   
“No, at group actually.” She seemed thoroughly pleased by his answers and took a long sip of her wine.   
“Well, I have to meet him. That’s final.” She sounded like his mother, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes. Even though he couldn’t see through them, she could see him do it and it got his point across. “Don’t give me that look, I really do want to meet him!” she promised, her wine glass clatting against the table. He merely sighed and gave up.  
“Alright, you should come to group then,” he offered. He wanted her to come along last week, but she had been busy. She wasn’t opposed to going with him. She hummed in response.  
“Alright, then I will. On Tuesday right? We can carpool.” That was Ana, always looking to make things easier for Jack. 


	6. 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy smokes! i totally almost forgot to upload a chapter. im sorry guys! here it is. 
> 
> don't play overwatch, don't speak spanish/french, and im not in the military. read on oh kinky turtle!  
> ooh this one is fun. Next chapter too. I unceremoniously stole gabe's war story from reddit, it really cracked me up. it definitely seemed like something young reyes would do. 
> 
> comments and kudos are always appreciated. thank you lovelies! <3

Gabe didn’t even realize Tuesday had arrived. Amélie just showed up at his door and he followed her to her car, and let her take him somewhere. It wasn’t until they physically pulled into the lot of the church did he even realize that was today.   
“Oh. It’s group day,” he said quietly. Furrowing his brow and staring at the church. She shot him a confused glance but didn’t say anything. They were early, like always, and he took moment to stand outside and smoke. He was looking forward to seeing Jack again. He kept his eyes open for the bus, waiting for it to stop in front of the church, and was dismayed when it drove by. He was so focused on the bus, he didn’t see the minivan pull up and Jack get out. Jack stepped right up to him and coughed before Gabe turned to him in shock. How did he know it was him standing there…?   
“Hey, Gabe.” Jack said cheerily. Which was surprising, considering this man’s default emotion was ‘tired’. Gabe wondered what had gotten Jack’s panties in a twist.   
“Hey, Jack,” he replied lightly. An older woman was standing next to him with a discerning eye. He glanced at her warily. Jack seemed to remember she was there and tilted his head.   
“Gabe, this is my friend Ana. You met Reinhardt at the garden thing, this is his wife,” he explained. Gabe stared down at her in a little bit of shock. She was so, very tiny and Reinhardt was so, incredibly large. He shivered, thinking about how rough sex between them must be. And shivered again, because he just pictured that wrinkly huge old man and this tiny wrinkly old lady naked, and it brought horrors to his eyes. He shook away the vision and held out his hand to her. If Ana was Jack’s friend, he wanted to make good.   
“Gabriel Reyes,” he offered. She took his hand and nodded. She had a firm grip and a tight appearance, he figured she must also be a vet. She didn’t pull rank on him though, so he decided not to either.  
“Ana Amari,” she replied. She had a beautiful shade of skin, somewhere between olive and caramel, and Gabe found himself a little smitten by her, despite her age. She was truly beautiful. It didn’t last long, since he turned his head a millimeter to the right and saw Jack again. The one he was really head over heels for. The three of them walked inside and took their seats in the circle. Gabe sat on the other side of Amélie than he usually did, next to Jack, and Ana next to him on the other side. Amélie gave him a sideways glance, wondering why he was acting weird. It wasn’t like him to be the social one. 

Ana wasn’t shy and shared some stories, making Jack laugh, the corners of his eyes scrunching up and his laughlines showing. Ana’s openness to share good stories brought on a flood of funny and good tales, of stupid shit that happened in the field, or better, in boot camp. Ana’s sharing also encouraged Jack to share, which Gabe really liked hearing. Jack turned abruptly to Gabe after the end of his yarn, giving him a look.   
“I bet you have some good ones, Reyes,” he jabbed, giving him a wry smile. Gabe flushed and stuttered, feeling on the spot. Angela, the instructor, reminded Jack that he shouldn’t push Gabe to share if he didn’t want to. Jack apologized but Gabe felt like a fool, like a teacher had just run up to defend the nerd in class who couldn’t protect himself. He cleared his throat and racked his brain for something funny.   
“No, no it’s alright, Ange. I can spin one.” He put his hand up, sighing softly. The look of amazement Amélie gave him was hilarious, though he knew he’d get a smack on the shoulder for acting so weird.   
“They shipped all the senior officers off base for a night when I was a private, and the lot of us got the idea for a BBQ. It was hot as hell in Gibraltar that day, and we all stripped naked and called over the girls from the local college, and had ourselves a night. Everyone’s naked and dancing, drinking, eating burgers, that sort of thing. Suddenly we see 6 or 7 humvees headed towards us, and we just thought it was more  _ vatos _ coming to party, but it when we look up, it’s all the senior officers, brigadiers, commanding officers, the whole 9 yards, all there with their wives and everything, full uniform.” He paused for effect, many of the group already snickering and giggling. He turns to glance at Jack, who was smiling wide and staring at the ground. Gabe takes a moment to give a breathy laugh, continuing his story.  
“We shut the music down and wait for our asses to be handed to us, but our CO just walks up to me and asks, ‘got any more burgers, private?’ and we partied and drank all night with everyone.” The whole group erupted into laughter, and especially Jack. Gabe felt his chest swell with butterflies, glad he not only made a good impression on the group, but also with Jack, who seemed thoroughly pleased by his story. Some folks asked him some questions and he gave answers, but mostly everyone just laughed until they couldn’t anymore. He looked over at Amélie for confirmation. She just nodded and gave a tight smile.   
“Best burgers i’ve ever had, honest.” she said, and the group began laughing again. Another story started up and Jack scooted his chair a little closer to Gabe’s, leaning in to whisper to him. Gabe got close, helping Jack so he wouldn’t bump into anything.   
“ _ Did you two really serve together? She was there? _ ” He asked. Which was a good question; not many people got to come home with their friends. Gabe nodded, unconsciously putting his hand on Jack’s thigh.  
“ _ Yeah, for sure. That araña’s had my back for longer than I can say _ ,” Jack smiled and nodded, pulling his face away but not his body. Sitting close to him, and appreciating the gentle touch. Gabe rubbed his thumb in small circles, smiling contently at the group, and for that moment, everything was just fine. He didn’t even notice Amélie staring at his hands in shock, utterly confused about everything that Gabe had been doing that night. 

When group ended, Jack informed Gabe that he, Ana, and Hana were going to meet up with Reinhardt and go for dinner. He didn’t particularly want to spend time in a crowded restaurant with the loud german, but he did want to spend time with Jack. He felt bad about ditching Amélie, and told her she could probably come along, but she didn’t seem to want to. She only made him promise to talk to her when he had time, and to behave himself. He agreed to her conditions and said goodbye, eagerly getting into the minivan after Jack. They sat next to each other in the back while Ana and Hana chatted up a storm. The way Jack lingered close to Gabe’s body made him blush. They arrived at a diner, and Reinhardt was already waiting with a large circular booth in the corner. Gabe wondered how far in advance these plans had been made, and if he was intruding or not. Thankfully the diner was not crowded, being a Tuesday night, but Reinhardt was still just as loud as before, and it set Gabe’s teeth on edge. He made sure to sit on the opposite side of the table from him, to escape the rumbling feeling in his chest went Reinhardt spoke. All things considered, he was a very nice old man. Just unbearably loud. Halfway through dinner, Gabe found himself holding Jack’s hand under the table. He didn’t know when they had reached for each other, or if Gabe had grabbed him or Jack had, but they were holding hands. His palms were calloused but his fingertips were soft, and Gabe couldn’t stop rubbing the soft skin in the crook of Jack’s thumb with his own. Jack didn’t even seem to notice, or show any outward signs that he was uncomfortable, so Gabe just squeezed his hand gently and laced their fingers tighter. Gabe was having a good time, and having Jack so close to him was taking the edge off of the din in the restaurant. He absently wondered when the last time he had this much fun was. The group was clearly already a bunch of friends, but they seemed glad to have Gabe there, probably because they only knew him superficially, he figured. They each opened up to him and talked a little about their lives, and asked him questions about his. He didn’t have much to say, seeing that he had no job, no friends, and no life. But he enjoyed hearing their stories.


	7. 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i didn't update last week. school is over! now its time for finals. I haven't written the last couple chapters and we're starting to catch up so there might be a longer break between chapters now. sorry. 
> 
> the majority of this chapter is worldbuilding around the other characters and how they fit in this....au i made up. 
> 
> still don't play overwatch, don't speak french/spanish, not in the military.  
> comments and kudos are always appreciated. thank you lovelies <3

The korean girl, Hana Song, was a drone pilot like Amélie had told him. She failed to mention, however, that she not only piloted drones remotely, but mech suits on the ground. Gabe was amazed that this tiny girl had so much raw nerve she could do such a thing. She spoke not unfondly of her time in service, and Gabe wondered how she was out already, having only been in for two years. She only mentioned that something had happened and she had been discharged. He didn’t ask the honors of that discharge. She told him how she loved to play video games, and she held champion status back home in Korea. This fact about herself was not particularly impressive to him, but he had the sense that it brought her great pride. She told him the name of her game and her brand, but it slipped his mind as quickly as it went in. He recalled that there was lots of gaming at bootcamp, but he usually didn’t participate. He did like playing first person shooters, but he had the sinking feeling that he would not be able to stomach playing one now. He wondered about the connection between Hana and Jack, but he didn’t ask.  

Ana, and Reinhardt, had been out of service for some time, and did not fight in the same conflicts the three of them did. They had served around the time that lunar bases were being built, and Ana grew misty-eyed as she talked about space, and the view from above. Gabe was horrified to imagine himself in space, and he always had been. Even though getting to the moon wasn’t difficult these days, there were far too many variables and noises, and the thought had never enticed him. She told him she was a sniper, and that was truly impressive to him. She was very small, and he wondered if it was difficult for her to carry the long rifles. It probably stood as tall as she did. She and Reinhardt had a daughter together, who was currently overseas.  _ A military family _ , he thought to himself. She had been born in Egypt, but immigrated to America when she was very young, and held dual citizenship. He envied her family unit, she seemed very happy and their family had the appearance of being in complete harmony. They were a lovely couple, if not comedic gold considering Reinhardt was nearly three feet taller than her. Hell, he was nearly two feet taller than himself. He wondered if when he was 65, and greying and old, would he have a family? Giving his husband a slug on the shoulder for telling a dirty joke? Reminiscing about his service as ‘the good old days’, and praying for his daughter to come home safe? Those things seemed so far away. It was hard to plan for the future when you half-expected yourself to be dead every time you woke up. 

Reinhardt had been in the german army, at the same time as Ana. They met in the field and hit it off immediately, which came as no surprise to Gabe. They had such chemistry together. Reinhardt spoke of how difficult it was to not only be a military couple, but a military couple between two different militaries. Gabe couldn’t imagine. There was absolutely no way to bend or guarantee they would be stationed anywhere near each other, and Ana was often in goddamn space, the farthest she could possibly get from Reinhardt. They recounted that they spent many years apart from each other, with only phone calls and letters to keep them sane, but the wait paid off when they were discharged and could return home together. The story made him think that they were time travellers from the 1800s. It was 2078, long distance relationships were still this damn hard? They lived in Germany for a while, and Egypt, but moved back to America when Jack got discharged, to which Jack was most displeased to talk about. He clearly didn’t like that they upped their life for him, but it was clear the group cared immensely for each other and he greatly appreciated their support. Gabe also learned that Jack was godfather to Fareeha, Ana and Reinhardt’s daughter. He found that dangerously sweet; Uncle Jack babysitting a rambunctious kid. 

Jack had, of course, fought in the Omnic crisis, same as Gabe. He was almost surprised that they had never met before, considering how similar their stories were. It seemed as if their entire lives, they had been playing cat and mouse. Gabe someplace Jack had been two weeks earlier, on the same base for a day but never crossing paths. It was a mathematical miracle that it took being discharged for them to meet. They were both in the marines, and they were both in special ops, were the top of their units, and had achieved all the same ranks. Though, of course, Jack had been honorably discharged with a purple heart; whereas Gabe had barely scraped by with general discharge, borderline bad conduct. Jack was so clearly a golden boy. He figured if anybody at group could compare to the horror and destruction he and Amélie had witnessed, it was Jack. 

Gabe wanted to take Jack home with him really bad. He wanted to just hang out a little longer, if nothing else. This proved purely socially impossible, since he was being dropped off in Ana’s car, on their way to drop off Jack and then Hana. It would be socially extremely weird for him to just ask Jack to get out with him, and stay over. So he kept his mouth shut. But he desperately wanted to ask him, to beg him, just stay over a little bit. But he got out of the van without a hitch and headed into his apartment. Upon further reflection, he didn’t really want Jack to come over anyway. His apartment was an absolute pig sty, and it was his own fault. He shamefully started picking up beer bottles and cleaning off his coffee table, dumping out his ashtrays and quickly did the dishes. He wished all his days were this productive. Something about getting out for once and having fun made him more willing to get off his ass and do something. He sat on his four inch balcony and had a couple smokes after he was done, realizing he hadn’t had one in a few hours, and it was starting to give him a headache. His phone buzzed and leaned into the living room to grab it off the table, picking it up.  
“Yeah?”   
“Are you home from your  _ soiree _ , or should I call back later?” Her voice was tense and she seemed on edge.  
“I invited you along. You didn’t have to go home,” he posited to her. She just huffed at him.  
“They’re your friends, not mine.”   
“They could be your friends, too. I wish you had come. They told some great stories.”  
“Why are you acting so strange? You are acting like your brains have been turned to  _ merde _ ,” She seemed really pissed now, which was making him agitated. Why was she so against him trying to do something fun?  
“I’m acting strange? What about you,  _ araña _ ? I’m just trying to have fun,” he spat to her.   
“You don’t do fun, remember? One minute you are drinking your brains out, and the next you are making eyes at some  _ salaud _ , practically drooling!”   
“Maybe i’m just trying to fix myself a little, isn’t that what you’re always chasing me to do?  _ Estás actuando como una puta, ¿sabes? _ ” He felt a little bad coughing up swears at her, but to be fair, she started it. Neither of them fluently spoke each other's languages, but the feeling came across. They’re all romantic-based, right? She was silent on the line for a moment, and he could hear her sigh lightly.   
“ _ Je suis désolé. Tu as raison. _ You’re right. I was just feeling… left out. It was like you flipped personalities and you weren’t gonna tell me anything about it.” He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He had forgotten to tell her  _ anything  _ about Jack, or what he was feeling. He was a shit friend.   
“I’m sorry,  _ araña.  _ It wasn’t on purpose. He’s just… got me whipped, honestly.” That earned a small laugh, and he was glad they were back on page.   
“What’s so great about this  _ salaud _ , anyway? He’s not exactly your type.” Gabe sighed, trying to think about why exactly he had fallen for Jack again. He didn’t really know. He suddenly felt like they were in bootcamp again, painting nails or polishing guns, gossiping about boys.   
“He just knows what we’ve been through.” He bit his lip, and realized he never told her about the bus incident. It wasn’t pertinent, except that they had promised each other they would always have each other’s backs, and to tell one another about panics, in case it happened again. To track for frequency. “I had an attack on the bus home from the garden thing. Jack helped me through it, and we hung out after. He’s a good man,  _ araña. _ ” He could hear her jaw tighten in displeasure, understandably frustrated that he had hid that from her.   
“I just don’t want to see you… get hurt and lose your confidence,” she admitted. He sighed softly.  
“I’m not broken, I’m a grown man. I can handle it.” he lied.  
“I know, Gabe.”  There was a long moment of silence on the line, and he thought he heard a wine glass clat on a table.   
“Get some sleep tonight, alright?” she said softly. He took the last drag of his cigarette and put it out.  
“Yeah, alright. See you Thursday.” They bid their goodbyes and he hung up the phone, tossing it back onto the table behind him. He sighed weakly and rubbed his face, not sure what to do with himself now. 


	8. 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i battled with adding an interim chapter for a solid like 4 weeks. but, while i think it might need one, im sure yall are just tired of hurting and want to see them make sweet sweet love. plus i havent updated in a while (woo hoo for moving!) so here you go, on the house. 
> 
> i want to emphasize especially in this chapter that I DO NOT SPEAK SPANISH...i tried really really really hard to make sure everything was actually funny and made sense? but im sure i fell short. so sorry. i appreciate any help if you find something especially awkward. just..be kind. 
> 
> this is the nsfw chapter. there might be more in the future, but this is the only one for now. read on with that in mind.. this fic isn't rated explicit for nothing. 
> 
> kudos/comments are as always, gratefully appreciated, thank you so much for how much positive attention this is getting! thank you thank you, lovelies <3

Gabe woke up to his phone buzzing on his night stand. He had actually gone to bed in his real bed last night, and waking up without a crick in his neck was startling. He picked it up groggily and stared blankly at the lock screen. 14:30. Lovely. He really needed a job, or something. He hurriedly swiped the answer button, bringing it to his ear and sitting up gruffly.  
“Yeah?”   
“Gabe?” Gabe blinked in surprise.   
“Jack?” How had Jack gotten his number, and more importantly, could blind people use phones? Well clearly they could, since he was on the phone with one, but he wondered how it worked.   
“Sorry to call you, I know you didn’t give me your number,” He sounded tired.   
“Oh it’s … alright. Do you need something?” Why was Jack calling him at all, and how did he get his number? Gabe lumbered up out of bed and put shorts on, despite being on the phone and Jack wouldn't have been able to see him even if they weren’t, he felt exposed for being naked. Strange how the mind worked.   
“I uh, no, not really. Or….well, I just…” Now he sounded tired and nervous. Gabe couldn’t stifle a small laugh.   
“Spit it out, soldier,” He could almost feel Jack’s cheeks getting hot over the phone.   
“I was just… Wondering if you’d like to come over, hang out for a bit,” His voice got quiet, like he was asking for something he knew he wasn’t going to get. It was Gabe’s turn to blush, wondering if this was a _date_ date, or just a _bros hanging out_ date.   
“Right now?”   
“Does that not work for you?” Gabe struggled to remember what day it was. He pulled his phone away to check. Friday. Not that he had any prior engagements, He just couldn’t recall if Thursday had happened yet. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.  
“No, now’s fine. I just need to… clean up a little. Can you text me your address? Or… um… Here, let me get a pen,” Gabe stumbled over his words, feeling like an idiot. Jack could probably manage to text, if he could manage to make a phone call, but he had already assumed and didn’t want to press. Jack just remained silent, and Gabe scrabbled to find a pen, scrawling on the back of some mail. “Shoot,” he prompted. Jack told him and Gabe promised to hurry, already heading into the bathroom. Jack told him to take his time, and to see him when he got there. Butterflies rose in Gabe’s stomach as they bid goodbye and hung up, and he felt like a kid. He quickly jumped in the shower and cleaned himself up, even shaving and trimming his beard. He remembered learning in bootcamp that butterflies in your stomach was just your adrenaline pumping, your body taking blood out of your gut and into your extremities, giving you a tingling feeling; but he was pleased to know that Jack got his adrenaline pumping. His body was reacting without him having to even do anything. 

His butterflies hadn’t gone away by the time the bus got within walking distance of Jack’s house. They were full force monarch migrating up his belly and into his throat by the time he got to his door. Jack opened and let him in with no trouble, they even awkwardly hugged as he stepped inside. They moved to the living room and sat on the couch, and Gabe sighed, trying not to sound nervous. Jack jumped up just as quickly as he had sat down, like he had forgotten something. Bringing two beers out of the fridge and over to the couch. Gabe felt a little ashamed of himself, but took it gratefully and took a long swig. He would need that today, thank you.   
“Do you have plans for us today?” Gabe asked, rubbing his hands on his legs and glancing over at Jack. Jack looked tired, like he hadn’t slept.   
“No, I’m sorry, I didn’t plan that far ahead. I just wanted to hang out,” he admitted, taking a sip of his beer. Gabe laughed a little and nodded.  
“That’s alright,  _ granjero, _ ” he hummed. Jack gave a slight tilt to his head and flashed a weary smile.   
“Tell me what that means,” he asked. Gabe felt himself flush a little, rubbing the back of his neck.   
“Oh uh… farm boy,” Gabe laughed under his breath nervously. He didn’t know where the two of them lay on nicknames, but Gabe was partial to just doing it automatically. Though Jack didn’t seem perturbed by it. He smiled kindly and laughed a little.   
“That’s funny. I half-expected it to be something…” He trailed off and Gabe couldn’t help but laugh a little more.  
“Offensive?”   
“Romantic,” Jack finished. Gabe blushed harder and glanced away from him. There was a half second of awkwardness, but Jack was quick to save face after taking another sip of his beer.  
“I don’t speak any other languages, not like you do at least. I’m fair at german,”  Gabe considered it for a moment, thinking about what he did and didn’t speak.  
“I’m only fluent at english and spanish, but I can get by with italian and french. No german though,” he explained. Jack seemed a little surprised, his eyebrows raising.   
“Oh? Where’d you learn all that?” Gabe suddenly had a few memories of being home with his  _ abuela _ , telling him folktales and stories of her youth in Mexico.   
“I picked up stuff overseas, but I spoke spanish at home,” he hummed. “All those languages are based on the same root, so they’re not too far off from each other.” Jack tilted his head thoughtfully, moving his hand out and finding Gabes, lacing their fingers together.   
“Can you teach me?” Jack asked. Gabe laughed a little, feeling flustered.   
“Teach you spanish?”  
“Yeah,” Jack nodded. Gabe laughed again and shrugged.   
“I mean, I guess, if you want to learn. I’m not a very good teacher though,” he admitted. Jack smiled, the corners of his eyes narrowing, making his crow’s feet visible.   
“Have you ever tried?” Gabe shook his head, smirking.   
“No, I haven’t. But I have not been known to be patient,” he warned. Jack laughed sweetly and tilted his head the opposite way.   
“What’s the first thing I should know?” He really sounded determined. Gabe couldn’t help but laugh again, leaning back against the couch. Jack scooted a little closer, still holding onto his hand tightly. Gabe shrugged and sighed.   
“Can you roll your ‘r’s?” he asked. It wasn’t impossible to speak spanish without it, but it definitely sounded clunkier. Jack winced and scratched his stubble absently.   
“No, I don’t think so.” He stuck his tongue out in a sad attempt to roll it, making a flat ‘errr’ noise instead. Gabe laughed and smiled wide, shaking his head. Rolling his for example.   
“No, no, _ rrrrrr _ ”  
“errrrh”  
“ _ rrrrrr _ ”  
“errrrrrh” 

Gabe couldn’t help but laugh again, laying his cheek against the couch and staring at Jack fondly. He was trying so hard. Gabe lifted a hand and put his fingers on either side of his mouth, pinching his chin into a v shape. Jack seemed to jerk slightly at the touch, clearly startled. He felt a pang of guilt, completely forgetting Jack couldn’t tell. But Jack didn’t seem upset, and relaxed his jaw.   
“ _ rrrrrr _ ” Gabe coaxed.   
“errrrrrrrrr” Jack laughed and pulled his face away, rubbing his forehead. “Sorry, I don’t think my tongue works that way,” he admitted. Gabe felt his mouth moving but it was as if he had no control of his voice.  
“It’s alright, I’m sure your tongue works perfectly in plenty of other ways,” Jack’s face turned red immediately, and and his head perked up in surprise. Gabe snapped his eyes shut and brought his hands to rub the bridge of his nose, thoroughly embarrassed. He had such a way of running his mouth. “I’m sorry, that came out of nowhere,” Jack just smiled wryly and tilted his head, putting his hand back in Gabe’s.   
“Teach me something else,” he asked. Gabe thought for a minute, not missing the opportunity to fuck with him. Taking a long drink of his beer and clapping his hands, speaking clearly for Jack to copy. 

“ _ Quiero que me cojas, _ ” 

“Keiro que me cohas,” 

_ “Quiero que estés dentro de mi _ ,” 

“Kiero que estass dentro de me,” 

“ _ As lo que quieras, _ ”

“Aslow que kieras” 

“ _ Arrimar la cebolleta, _ ” 

“Arrrimar la sebyoyeeta” 

Gabe found he could take it no longer and broke out from snickering into full on laughing, burying his face in his hand and trying to hide his blush. You know, from the blind man. Jack blushed back, but because of ignorance, not because he knew what he was saying.   
“What? What did I say?” he laughed, smiling crookedly. Gabe waved his hand, taking another long sip of beer.   
“Nothing,  _ esé,  _ your pronunciation is awful!” he chided, staring over at Jack, admiring the way his skin tugged and wrinkled when he smiled. Jack sighed and lifted an eyebrow.  
“Okay,  _ maestra _ , what did  _ you _ say?” Gabe urked in surprise, laughing even louder.  
“ _ Maestra _ ?? Am I a woman,  _ cabrón _ ?” Jack flushed darker and took a long sip from his beer, rocking back and leaning against the armrest, his feet up against Gabe’s thigh.   
“Sorry, sorry… that’s what my high school called the spanish teacher. I know it just means teacher. But everyone called her that.” Gabe sighed softly, finishing off his beer.   
“For a woman, maybe. I would be your  _ profesor _ . Or maybe  _ maestro _ , depending,” he explained. Jack just ‘ah’d and tilted his head forward. He looked so tired, like laughing had worn him of all energy he might’ve had. Jack took a final sip of his beer and held out his hand, slowly sitting up.   
“Ready for another?” Jack asked. Gabe shifted, starting to get up and gently pushed Jack back down.   
“I can get it. You stay,  _ cabrón _ ,” he instructed. Jack shot him a look but sat back down. Sighing softly and cracking his neck. Gabe slide between him and the couch, walking into the kitchen. He could hear Jack call out from the living room.  
“What does that mean?” Gabe just laughed and retrieved their drinks, leaving the empties on the counter near the sink. Heading back and putting the fresh one in Jack’s waiting hand, making sure Jack had a firm grip before letting go.   
“Jackass,” Gabe replied lightly as he sat back down. Jack smiled and took a sip, laughing wryly.   
“Ah, I see. We’re past farm boy now,” That made Gabe start snickering again, wrapping an arm around Jack’s shoulders. Jack leaned into him, pleasantly surprised by the gesture.   
“It’s a well deserved title,” Gabe said thoughtfully. Jack just rolled his eyes and shook his head.   
“Yeah, alright.” Jack sighed. They stayed like that for some time, just drinking their beer and sitting close. Gabe’s stomach felt warm and comfortable, and he assumed it wasn’t just from the beer he was drinking. He wasn’t tipsy yet, but it definitely took the edge off his anxiety. Sitting still for a few minutes, however, gave itch for a cigarette, and he tapped his foot absently. Jack lightly put a hand on his thigh, tilting his head towards the noise of his foot.   
“Are you alright? Am I making you uncomfortable?” He seemed concerned, but his voice sounded sleepy. Like Gabe was a child who had a nightmare.   
“No, you’re not,” Gabe promised. Forcing his leg to stop. “I could just use a smoke, sorry.” Jack leaned his head back against the couch and grunted softly.   
“Oh. Alright.” Gabe moved his arm and started to untangle from Jack’s body, but Jack put a hand on his chest. “Where are you going?” Jack asked, almost sounding worried. Gabe raised an eyebrow, pausing his movement.   
“To go outside… for a smoke. Sorry, i’ll only be gone a minute,” He didn’t want to leave Jack’s side, but if he didn’t do something with his hands, it was going to drive him nuts. Jack just tilted his head and lowered his voice.  
“You can do that here,” he said, leaning back against the couch. Gabe blinked in surprise. He had never been in somebody’s house, and they asked him to stay inside to smoke. Not for cigarettes, anyway.   
“Oh… are you… sure?” Jack just nodded and pushed on Gabe’s chest, who relented and leaned back against him.   
“I’m sure, go ahead.” Gabe shook his head dubiously but pulled his lighter and pack out, tapping one out.   
“Do you want one?” he asked, almost pulling out an extra. Jack shook his head, laying his cheek against Gabe’s shoulder.   
“No, I’m fine.” he said, draping his arm around Gabe’s midsection. Gabe huffed and lit his smoke, taking a slow drag. It helped him relax, and he could feel his muscles letting go from being tensed up. After a moment or two of silence, Jack lifted his head and put his hand up, facing Gabe squarely.   
“Can I touch your face?” Jack asked, leaving his hand on Gabe’s shoulder. Gabe blushed, glancing away nervously.   
“Uh… what for?” Why would Jack want to touch his face? What a weird thing to ask. Weird old man.   
“So I can see it,” Jack replied tiredly. He wasn’t annoyed, but there was a tinge of exhaustion, as if he had to explain this sort of thing every day, and it was wearing thin. Gabe felt like an idiot. What else is new.   
“Oh. Yeah, alright,” He turned his head so he was facing Jack clearly, taking another drag. “I should warn you, I’m not very pretty,” he joked. Jack didn’t seem to hear him. He just slowly lifted his hand from Gabe’s shoulder, putting his thumb on the high points of Gabe’s right cheek, rubbing in small circles. Dragging his hand up and along his brow, stopping at the thick scars on the edge of his eyebrow and up his forehead. Rubbing over them a few times and moving back down his cheek, tracing the fine lines and stopping again at the long scar across his lower cheek. Gabe took another drag of his cigarette, his face growing hotter with blush. Jack rubbed over his scars for another moment, moving his other hand up to feel both sides of his face, tracing the shape of his nose and smiling a little at his facial hair, and over his chin. Gabe was getting increasingly more self conscious, wondering if his face was any good to him. He didn’t know. He couldn’t imagine what Jack was seeing in his mind. He took another long drag and in an instant, as he pulled it away, Jack leaned forward and put their lips together. Pulling away a half inch and letting his mouth hang open, taking the smoke from his mouth and into his own, fluttering his eyelashes and blowing it out his nose. Gabe gasped as he remembered to breathe, his jeans suddenly getting very tight on his hips. He moved slowly, not wanting to break whatever spell they were under, dropping his cigarette onto the hardwood and stamping it firmly out with his boot.  _ Sorry, Jack _ . At least he wouldn’t have to see the black mark left in the wood. Gabe swallowed hard and leaned his face in, reaching for another kiss. Gently leaving one on Jack’s lips and pulling away, still unsure if that was alright. Hesitating for a moment, just listening to their shared breathing.    
  


It was late afternoon and the sun was setting, and the all the lights in Jack’s house were still off. It was if time had slowed to a stop, and there, in those few inches of space between their faces, it was like electricity. Time stopped for what seemed like hours and in an instant it came crashing back, and their faces were together, their hands grabbing and tugging everywhere, as if they were each dying of thirst and the other was an oasis. Jack was in Gabe’s lap immediately, straddling his hips and holding his face in his hands, Gabe’s fingers straying up Jack’s back and under his shirt, feeling his muscles shift beneath his skin. Jack was in no way delicate, he had as much force as Gabe did, shoving their lips together and digging his nails into Gabe’s skin, holding onto him for dear life. Gabe slowly pitched his hips up against Jack’s, and elicited a moan from Jack’s chest that Gabe could feel in his own throat. Jack wasted no time, lowering and grinding on top of him. Gabe slipped a hand under his jeans, grabbing at his ass and dragging his nails on his pale skin, leaving red raised lines in his wake. Gabe bit at Jack’s lips, not spitefully, but just enough to hurt in a good way. Jack moaned again and bit back, shoving his tongue against Gabe’s, dragging his teeth against Gabe’s lip, biting and sucking on the edge. Gabe lifted his hands and pulled off Jack’s shirt over his head, rubbing his hands over every inch of his torso, leaning forward to kiss at his chest. Jack shuddered and stuck his hands to Gabe’s head, running his fingers through Gabe’s hair for the first time, feeling at the slight curl of his short haircut, gently tugging. Gabe kissed over every scar he could find, every wound where a bullet had been taken out, every burn and cut. Jack leaned backwards and clung to Gabe’s head, spreading his legs and pushing him lower. Gabe grunted as he hit his folded-over point, moving his face up instead and reeling Jack back in, biting and kissing at his neck, rumbling in his chest and sucking a dark hickie into his skin, just below his jawline. Jack gasped gravelly, digging his nails into Gabe’s head as if he had claws, bucking his hips desperately against nothing. Gabe practically purred, kissing up his jawline and nibbling at his ear, humming low in his breath.   
“Eager,  _ cariño? _ ” Gabe mused, rubbing his hand over Jack’s ass and groping tightly. Jack just sneered and dug his nails into Gabe’s scalp, reaching down to pick up the edge of Gabe’s shirt, pulling it up over his head and tossing it off the side of the couch. Rubbing his hands over Gabe’s shoulders and down his chest, feeling the bumps and ridges of where muscle met scar tissue. Gabe looked up at Jack’s face, which was slightly turned to the left, not meeting Gabe’s gaze. Gabe lifted a hand and turned Jack’s face towards his, getting a good clear look at his glassy blue eyes, almost perfectly the color of 5:15 in the morning, just as the sun was making it way towards rising. Gabe pressed forward into another kiss, letting a moan slip his lips, and Jack just moaned back, loving every sound and touch. Jack found Gabe’s shoulders and wrapped his arms tightly around his neck, pushing hard into the kiss. Pulling away for only a moment, breathlessly huffing.   
“My bedroom is just down the hall,” Jack tilted his head and held on tighter. Gabe dug his nails into Jack’s back and slowly stood up, never letting go and carrying him through the house. He was heavy, but not unbearably so. Gabe was still strong. Coming to the end of the hallway and slowly peeking through the doorway, realising with a start that all the doors had been taken off. That made sense. It would be a pain in the ass to be always running into closed doors. He blinked and tried to ignore the ex-marine nipping hickies into his neck, stepping inside and heading to the queen bed in the center of the room. Laying Jack down carefully onto his back, making sure to let him know he was setting him down. Jack tugged at his neck and brought Gabe down with him, kissing him and biting everywhere he could get his lips. Gabe straddled his waist and moved his hands down, undoing his jeans, a light gasp catching in his throat as his half hard dick was released, moaning and pressing more kisses into Jack’s neck. Jack’s hands were on him instantly, pulling his boxer-briefs down and wrapping his hands around him, making small murmurs and huffs as he felt him up, getting an idea of his size and shape. Gabe had never felt inadequate in bed before, and the look on Jack’s face brought him great pleasure. He seemed surprised but not shocked, moaning softly and slowly starting to work his shaft. Gabe shivered and buried his face against the nape of Jack’s neck, nipping and giving him darker marks. Sliding his hands down to undo Jack’s jeans, desperate to see what he was hiding. Gabe lifted his head and looked between them as he pulled down Jack’s boxers, huffing softly as he got a good look at his dick. It was smaller than his; though most men were. But he was not unendowed, it was soft pink at the tip and had an ever so slight natural curve to the right. Jack shifted his legs and seemed a little uncomfortable, and Gabe realised he had just been staring at him for a solid minute without moving or saying anything. He quickly apologised and leaned in for another kiss, burying his face against Jack’s cheek and up against his hair, getting a whiff of… Wheat, and fresh air. Like a goddamn farm. Grabbing his dick in his hand, slowly working him and rubbing his thumb over the tip. Jack huffed and moaned softly, pushing his nose against Gabe’s cheek. Laughing under his breath and giving Gabe’s dick a squeeze, pre already dripping onto Jack’s hand.   
“To be honest, I’ve never been with someone uncut before,” he laughed dryly. Gabe snickered and gave his cheek a kiss, nipping at his earlobe.   
“I’ve never been with a blind man before,” he admitted. Jack hummed and worked him a little faster, pumping his hand up and down Gabe’s shaft.   
“Firsts all around,” he smiled, kissing down Gabe’s neck and biting into his shoulder. Gabe moaned and shifted his hips forward, pushing his dick up against Jack’s, earning another, louder moan. Gabe rut their dicks against eachother, huffing and breathing hard against Jack’s neck, giving him a string of dark hickies. The affair was quick and sweet, Jack arching his hips up in a shudder as he went over, streaking cum against Gabe’s hand and along their bellies. Running a hand through Gabe’s short hair, tugging and finding his cheek, leaning close and giving him a kiss, murmuring his name into his ear. Gabe grunts and moans as he feels Jack cum underneath him, picking up pace on himself and burying his nose against Jack’s cheek as he followed, cum streaking against Jack’s belly, mixing with his. They both lay there for a long few moments, panting and coming off the surge of pleasure. Gabe was the first to move, pulling his hand away and moving it to cup Jack’s cheek, giving him a tender kiss to the lips and laying down on top of him. His thighs shaking weakly, unable to hold himself up any longer. Jack kissed back deeply, pushing their tongues together and tugging at the back of Gabe’s hair. Breaking the kiss for a moment to huff, shifting uncomfortably under Gabe’s sticky belly.   
“There might be tissues… on the night stand,” he offered. Gabe smirked and laughed under his breath, kissing down Jack’s neck and nipping at his chest, rubbing his hands over every inch of his body. He nuzzled against Jack’s white-blonde happy trail, pushing his tongue against Jack’s belly, delicately cleaning him off and licking cum off his lips. Jack shuddered and gasped as Gabe’s tongue touched him, letting out another moan and weakly rubbing Gabe’s shoulders and head. Finishing up and returning to kiss at Jack’s lips, making sure he got a taste of it. Jack stifled a laugh, breaking it to lick over his lips and grunt softly. Commenting on the flavor which made Gabe laugh a little louder. Like giggling high schoolers, touching each other for the first time. Gabe shifted his weight and moved to Jack’s side, holding him close and pulling him into a hug, kissing his cheek and rubbing his back gently. Jack sighed and buried his face against Gabe’s chest, tracing his fingers lightly over old scars. Gabe could think of nothing to say, he had no funny quip or witty remark to give, he just lay there with him in silence. The lack of stimulation made him crave a cigarette. He pushed it away and curled his arms tighter around Jack’s body, running a hand through his hair. Jack made a soft nasally sound and Gabe glanced to look at him, making sure he was alright. Jack was fine, he had just fallen asleep. Gabe laughed softly and shifted his weight around, tugging up the covers that had been pushed to their feet, lying on his back with Jack’s arm draped over his chest. Glancing out the large windows to his left. The sun had fully set and it was dark, but it wasn’t late. He didn’t particularly feel like sleeping, but he wanted to get up even less. So he lay there for a while, rubbing his thumbs over Jack’s skin in the darkness.


	9. 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WOW its been a long time since i updated. sorry!   
> I know this ones short, but i wanted to get one out to you while i was in the writing mood.   
> also keep an eye out, a mchanzo fic is in the works <3 
> 
> don't play overwatch, dont speak spanish, yadda yadda ... 
> 
> thank you lovelies!

At some point he had dozed off, but he wasn’t sure when. He was only startled awake by Jack nearly clawing his chest open, scrunched up tightly and panting roughly between gasping yells. At first Gabe wasn’t sure what was wrong with Jack, and he tried to talk to him, before realizing that he was still asleep. He was having a night terror. Gabe took a firm but gentle grip on Jack’s shoulders, calling his name and trying to wake him up. Running a hand over Jack’s cheek and kissing him, repeating his name a few times. Jack awoke with a start, clinging tightly to Gabe’s body and whining as he awoke, panting roughly, his body covered in sweat. Gabe nuzzled him gently and spoke softly to soothe him.  
“It’s just a dream, _cariño_ , you’re home, you’re okay,” he promised, petting Jack gently and rubbing his back.   
“Gabe…?” Jack asked, tilting his head and trying to make sense of where he was.   
“I’m here, _cariño_ , you’re okay,” he promised again. Jack slowly started rubbing his hand up Gabe’s arms and over his chest.  
“I was… in Russia,” he explained, sounding almost anxious. Gabe silenced him with a kiss and held him tighter.   
“It’s okay, you’re here now.” Jack nodded and pushed his face against Gabe’s neck, huffing softly and settling down. He rubbed a hand gently over Gabe’s bare thigh.   
“I haven’t eaten since lunch, we should get something,” he mumbled, his stomach rumbling in agreement. Gabe laughed under his breath and nodded, slightly sitting up and vaguely looking for his phone.  
“Should I order in?” he asked, realizing with a grunt that his phone was likely still in the living room.  
“Yeah, you better. I don’t think I can stand much less go to dinner,” Jack mused, laying flat on his back and trailing a hand over Gabe’s hip as he got up.   
“Are your legs still jelly?” Gabe laughed, detangling from Jack’s arms and lingering their fingers together as he stood up. Jack nodded and closed his eyes, turning his cheek against the pillow. Gabe smiled softly and walked from the bedroom back to the living room, not bothering with clothes. He wasn’t a modest man, and Jack was blind anyway. He could walk around naked all he wanted. Gabe retrieved his phone and flipped away a few texts, not really caring about the big ass spider Amélie found in her garage. Wandering back into the bedroom and climbing back in bed, laying on top of Jack’s legs, resting his chin on Jack’s belly.   
“What are you in the mood for?” he asked, absently swiping through facebook notifications. 2078 and they were still using facebook, like savages. Gabe couldn’t stand it, but it was the easiest way to keep in touch with everyone at once. Jack considered it for a moment, sighing softly.   
“I could go for pizza,” he suggested, running a hand through Gabe’s hair, twirling the short locks on his finger.   
“Yeah? Alright,” Gabe nodded, looking up the cheapest delivery pizza possible. He didn’t have a lot of cash on him. They debated for a moment about toppings, Jack insistent that pineapple was a good topping. Gabe firmly stuck to his guns that no, it wasn't, and they settled on classic pepperoni instead. They lounged naked in bed while they waited, not saying much, just enjoying each other's company. The doorbell rang unceremoniously in the middle of making out, and Gabe got up to retrieve their food. Jack tugged on his arm as he vacated the bed, laughing under his breath.   
“You might want to put some clothes on, tough guy, “ he chided. Gabe blushed and grunted in response hurrying to throw on at least a stray pair of boxers. They were a little tight, and they weren't his, but it was kind of a dire situation. He paid the pizza man, not without some disgruntled glances from both parties, and returned to bed. Jack looked like he could have fallen asleep in the short moment Gabe was gone, but he stirred and sat up when pizza was placed on his lap. Gabe kicked off the boxers and re-tangled himself against Jack, putting the box on his lap and carefully handing a piece to him.   
“it's hot, watch yourself,” he warned, taking a piece for himself. Jack snickered and stuck his tongue out, even though they weren't facing.   
“I may be blind but I'm not dumb,” with a huff and took a hearty bite. Gabe smirked and bumped their shoulders together.   
“You're right. My apologies.” Jack nodded triumphantly and they wolfed down the whole pizza in only a few minutes.

They stayed together for the rest of the night, and Gabe was loathe to leave in the morning. He liked staying in Jack's nice house, spending the day naked, cooking together or talking about group, or things they liked to do to pass the time, or doing them. And breaking whatever they were doing to fuck around, regardless of whatever they were doing. The spell had to be broken however, as it was Monday now, and daily lives must resume. Gabe slowly got dressed and gave Jack a cautious kiss on the cheek, hoping that was alright. Jack smiled and returned the gesture, standing in the doorway of the bathroom, heading to a shower.   
“I'll see you tomorrow at group, yeah?” Gabe asked, hopeful for their future. Jack nodded blearily and tilted his head. “Yes, I will be sure to be there.” They bid farewells and Gabe headed home on the bus. It wasn’t very convenient to go by bus, but there was no other way to get to and from Jack’s house.

It was barely 11 AM when he returned home, but he felt good. He felt great. He felt like he could take on the world and nothing would stop him. He decided he would have a beer, since he had no other commitments and he felt so good. One beer turned to two and three, and it wasn’t nearly 1 o’clock. He turned on some baseball game he didn’t care much about, and jeered and cheered when anything happened. He was impressed with himself that he had made good with Jack, and he had helped him through his night terror. He was proud that Jack had seemed to want to see him again. Three to four and four to five, and he lost track of time. At some point he ran out of beers and scotch was busted out, as the party must go on. The game ended and another started, but at that point it was just more reason to drink. Shots every time the umpire said ‘wow’ or ‘incredible’. This was celebratory drinking after all, he had possibly scored a new boyfriend, or at the very least he had gotten laid last night. His phone buzzed and a text came in from the man himself, though deciphering the screen was tough work. Typing was even more of a struggle.

 _Did you make it home OK?  
_ HOW type?ing  
 _Modern Technology sure is cool. Speech-to-Text function.  
_ WHAT!!!!!  
oh ok  
 _I assume you made it home OK?  
_ sure im at home where r u?  
 _What?  
I'm also at home.   
_You alone? you can come over ; )  
 _I'm tempted, but no thank you._  
boooooooooooooooooooooooooooo   
 _Sorry Gabe. See you tomorrow?_  
yeah, yeah yeha  
what tomorrw?z  
 _What?  
My phone is having trouble with your're saying. It doesn't speak spanish, sorry.   
_WHATS HAPENING TOMORROW? _  
Group is tomorrow? At 4 pm?  
_ oh ok  
yhea see u 2mr  
 _Are you okay? maybe my phone isn't working..._  
IM OK! SEE YOU TOMORROW!!  
 _Okay. Sleep well._  
aw ; ) you too baby   
 _Lol._

In the meantime of texting with Jack, he downed more scotch and seeing became nearly impossible. He trudged up from the couch and out to his tiny balcony, smoking the last of his cigarettes, cackling and throwing a bottle at some passing teenagers. They swore at him and flipped him off, and Gabe repayed the favor. They ran off and Gabe trudged back inside, flopping onto the couch and downing the last of the bottle of scotch. Glancing out the window and noticing the dark sky just as his vision followed suit. 


	10. 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ah, i got my wisdom teeth removed today and have been on bed rest :eyeroll:  
> so you guys get a LONG one and another sex scene. *confetti* 
> 
> kudos/bookmarks/and comments are always loved and appreciated. thank you lovlies! <3
> 
> EDIT: i fixed the italics on the "texting" part of the chapter, when i posted it they were there but have since left the building >_>

 

Gabe awoke to a firm kick in his ribcage. He grumbled and opened one eye, a stern Amélie staring down at him.  
“You're a fucking disaster, you know that?” she growled, giving him another kick. He groaned and swatted his arm at her and attempted to roll over. She kicked him again. “Get up you lazy fuck, or I'm leaving without you.” Gabe’s head was pounding and the shrill note of her voice wasn't helping. He groaned and sneered at her and she gave him one last kick with the toe of her boot and slammed the door on her way out. Gabe submitted once more to the darkness and fell back asleep.

He awoke with a start not twenty minutes later, jumping to his feet in one swift movement. He rubbed his face and swore aloud, not bothering to change his nasty clothes, but having sense enough to grab a hoodie. He hurried to the bus, which was about to pull away until he hit the side of it angrily. Boarding and fumbling to find his pass, grabbing hold of a bar and eagerly awaiting his stop. The bus was long, and he was already late. People were filing out of the church by the time he ran from the stop to the parking lot. He panted and stood on the sidewalk, eyeing Jack out front with a grim face, holding his phone up to his face. His own phone buzzed a few moments later. Gabe rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed wearily. Leave it to him to blow it again. Not that group was really a date situation, but it was his next chance to see Jack…  
Who was getting into Ana’s van. He shyed away against a tree until they had drove off. He felt like a fuckin’ grim reaper, hiding in the shadows with his hoodie pulled up. Or just a creep. He stepped out into the parking lot and knocked on Amélies window, and she nearly jumped out of her skin and looked like she was going to pull a piece on him. She settled into a glare once she saw his face, pulling her lips tight and reaching over to unlock the door in an aggressive manner. He sheepishly got in and buckled up. She didn't drive away immediately, just scowled and huffed, dropping her hands into her lap.  
“I try so hard to support you Gabe,” she started with a tired sigh. He interjected with a low voice.  
“ _Araña_ , please don't-”  
“Shut up. You have lost the right to give excuses.” she snapped. He glanced over at her stone face and shut up. “I’m not the only one Gabe, we are all trying to support you. I talked to that Ana woman, she said she wants to pick a day to bring you lunch, or take you and that Jack out once a week. You are not without people who care about you, and you throw it all away.” she prattled on and Gabe knew her words had weight but his head hurt too much to really listen. He strained to hear her.  
“And this Jack fellow, you really should have seen his face. He came up to me talking like you had maybe died or something, he was so certain you would be there.” He chose the wrong time to listen, those words stung. Imagining the look on Jack's face. She looked like she was going to go on but she just exhaled and gave a weary sigh.  
“I'm Not your mother, Gabe. You have a problem and you have to want to get better. You're the only one who can fix it.” he stared blankly out the window for a long while, mulling over the truth and pain in her words. He debated saying something back to her but couldn’t find the sounds in his throat. He stayed quiet for the rest of the trip home and Amélie followed suit. She stopped in front of his apartment and gave him one last stern glance as he fumbled to get out.  
“Call me if you decide you need something,” she said flatly. He nodded and refused to look her in the eye, ducking out of the car and up the stairs to his unit. He stood just on the other side of his door after he slammed it shut, staring at his hell hole of an apartment, and putting his hands to his head in frustration. He growled and kicked the coffee table, sending bottles rattling. He balled his fists and made for a punch at nothing but stopped himself, putting down his hands and sighing wearily in defeat. No use acting like a toddler over his own mistakes. He kicked off his shoes and lumbered to the bathroom, showering off all the slime and gunk of a night drinking. He started with cold water to shock himself then slowly worked it hotter and hotter; and much like the frog, he didn’t notice when it scalded his back and left his skin bright red.

After his pity-shower and getting dressed in sweats and a t-shirt, he remembered his phone. He gathered it out of his pile of clothes and groaned when he turned it on, his lockscreen flooded with messages. A voicemail, even. He quickly returned a text to a very upset sounding Jack.

I’m sorry about tonight. I’m okay.  
_There you are! You’re okay?_  
I’m okay.  
_You weren’t at group…_  
I know. I’m sorry. I really am.  
_Amy Lee said you were too busy to come. But we had talked about it…_  
_Duck autocorrect  
_ Duck!!!

Gabe couldn’t help but snicker to himself at the thought of Jack desperately trying to get his phone to read “fuck” back to him. His throat felt tight in a way that he hadn’t felt since the third grade, like if he were to say one word outloud it would break the dam into tears.

 _Gabe?_  
Yeah. No, sorry I wasn’t busy.  
I just had too much to drink last night.  
I’m sorry. I was looking forward to coming.  
I did come, I was just too late.  
Fuck, I’m sorry.  
_It’s okay Gabe._  
I fuckin let you down, I’m just making an ass of myself.  
_It’s just group, Gabe. We can hang out outside of group too._  
I know that.  
I feel like an idiot.  
_It’s okay._

Gabe had moved to the couch and he slumped back against the cushion with a sigh. Jack was too forgiving. He should learn to read the red flags. Figuratively.

 _Gabe?_  
Sorry.  
_I know._

That was poignant. Who asked him? Damn he was good. One-upping Gabe in every respect.

 _Do you want me to come over?_  
You don’t want to come over.  
_I do._  
My house is trashed.  
_I’m blind._  
Your nose works just fine.  
_Then come over here._

Every fiber of his body was telling him to say no, to just sit this one out and stay at home. But his heart ached and he longed for Jack’s embrace. He carried his phone out to the balcony and searched for a cigarette but couldn’t find one. _Damn_. He would have to go out and get more anyway…

Bring clothes, you can stay the night again.  
_Gabe?_  
Okay.  
_Okay._

Gabe packed a ratty backpack with essentials, and put his hoodie back on to head out. He was glad to be leaving his cess pool, but dreading having to come back and clean it. He should have cleaned before he left. His head still hurt. He needed a smoke.

He made his way to the corner bodega before getting on the bus, smoking two or three cigarettes before getting on. He felt better with nicotine in his system. Less anxious. His head still hurt and the bus was loud but he kept his hood up and reminded himself where he was going. No panic attacks this time, thank you. The bus stopped just before he was about to lose it, and he hurried off and up the street towards Jack’s house. He stood in front of a few and had a moment of struggling to remember which one was his. He stepped to the left and hoped he was right. He knocked and shoved his hands in his jacket pocket, huffing and glancing over at the horizon, the sun starting to sink. The door opened and Jack perked up, flinging his hand out to hold Gabe’s cheek. Gabe nearly melted right there in the doorway, seeing his face. The worry, the relief. How could someone he’d only just started to fuck around with be so attached already? He gave a half-cocked smile and pulled him inside.  
“I’m glad you’re okay, Gabe.”  
“I told you on the phone I was fine, _cariño_ …”  
“I’m a man too, I know that ‘fine’ doesn’t always mean ‘fine’.” he chided, grabbing him by the hand and pulling him immediately into the bedroom. He was only wearing a t-shirt and boxers, and the look really suited him. Gabe stopped at the foot of the bed and slid out of his shoes, slowly climbing in after him, jeans and all. Jack really didn’t seem to mind. He pulled Gabe close and held onto his arm, laying his head in the crook of Gabe’s neck. Gabe felt immediately like all his misdeeds and shortcomings didn’t matter. Like all that mattered was right here, in his arms. Jack rubbed his hand along Gabe’s arm, feeling the fabric of his hoodie. Running his fingertips along the seams, and tugging gently on the fabric. They were silent for a long while, and Gabe still felt like he might start crying. Jack was the first to speak, and it was a low, quiet rumble.  
“I like your jacket.”  
“My jacket?” Gabe asked, tilting an eyebrow.  
“Yeah, it’s soft. I like it.”  
“Oh. Thanks, I guess.”  
Silence again. He felt like the conversation was hanging above something sharp, like Jack was just buying time before having to talk about the important things.  
“Does it say anything on it?” he asked instead, moving his hand to Gabe’s side and sliding it along his shoulder blade.  
“Yeah, it uh. It’s from my favorite band. Well, uh… before the war when I could listen to that kind of music.”  
“Is it too loud now?” he asked, tilting his chin up towards him, in his way of ‘facing’ him. Gabe nodded gently.  
“I can bear it if it’s turned way down low, but then that’s not really much fun.”  
“What are they called?”  
“Oh...uh. Death Blossom.” Which elicited a good-natured snicker from Jack.  
“It sounds very you.” he settled with. Gabe hummed along and nodded.  
“Yeah.”  
More silence. Jack eventually pulled away and sat up, rubbing his fingers over Gabe’s brow and cheek. Gabe let him touch, closing his eyes and revelling in the intimacy of such a simple act. He turned his cheek just to the right and kissed over Jack’s fingers, who hummed in reply and leaned forward, giving a kiss on the lips. They took it slow this time, instead of the feverish desperate kissing of two nights before. They held each other's faces and slowly tangled together, brushing tongue to tongue and exchanging small mumbles and huffs back and forth. Something chewed at the back of Gabe’s mind, telling him to pull away and let Jack go, but he couldn’t force himself even if he really wanted to. Jack tasted like sunshine, bright and bold and just a little bit sweet. He slipped his hand under Jack’s shirt and laid him on his back, straddling his hips and moving his kisses from his lips to his neck. Amused that his hickies from the other day had still not totally faded, leaving fresh ones in his wake. Jack moaned and hummed under him, and he looked up when he heard some rattling on the bedside table, while Jack fumbled to pull the drawer open and look for something. He twisted his brow and grabbed hold of something, rubbing his fingers over it and pulling it out, handing it to Gabe. He looked down at it and snickered, light teasing his voice.  
“Lube? What do you expect me to do with this?” He chided as he started to pull his jeans off regardless. Jack groaned and sighed, giving a stern buck of his hips up against Gabe’s ass. Pointing his face with scary accuracy right at Gabe’s, his blank eyes staring unamused holes into Gabe’s.  
“I want you to put it on your dick and fuck me,” he said between his teeth. Gabe laughed heartily and closed the gap between them, kissing him deeply, pushing his body into it. Jack put his hands back up to Gabe’s cheeks and scratched gently along his jawline, rubbing over his stubble and scars. They kissed for a long moment and Gabe slowly pulled away, to Jack’s protest, and pulled off the rest of their clothes. Pouring lube onto his fingers and kissing down Jack’s belly, sliding his hand between his legs and slowly pressing into him, which elicited the most obscene of moans and Jack’s hand shot to Gabe’s head, tugging on his hair.  
“Ah....a little warning, please…” he huffed out. Gabe blushed and gave an apologetic kiss to his navel.  
“ _Lo siento, cariño_ ,” he rumbled, inching his finger in more, and delicately dragging his tongue up Jack’s chest and nipping at his neck. “...Do you want me to stop…?” he whispered, and Jack tugged on his hair like his life depended on it.  
“God, no,” was all he could breathe out, as Gabe kept going to his knuckle and picked up his pace, adding his middle finger and curling them inside him. Jack writhed under him and he leaned up to kiss his cheek, moving his hip just an inch forward, bumping their dicks together, earning another moan from Jack. Gabe rut their cocks together while he fingered him, until Jack scratched sharply at his neck and arched his chest up, breathing like he was gasping for air.  
“You better stop or… I’m not going to last much longer…” Gabe just laughed in return and slowed enough to pull his fingers out, lifting Jack’s leg and laying it over his own chest, squaring their hips together and quickly rubbing himself with the cold lube. He leaned over Jack and gave him a kiss on the cheek.  
“Ready…?” he checked, and Jack just nodded feverishly. Gabe was happy to oblige and slowly shoved inside him, putting one hand to his hip and digging his thumb into his pale skin, probably leaving bruises behind. Gabe reeled in his own pleasure, and Jack dragged his nails down Gabe’s back, moaning is long name aloud. Gabe shuddered and pressed on about half way, slowly pulling out again and grinding against him, pushing deeper every time. Jack alternated between clawing Gabe’s back and balling his fists in the sheets, making an inordinate amount of noise, but Gabe couldn’t help thinking it was pretty damn cute. He stayed mostly silent, as he usually did, but let himself moan along when the feeling was just right. They kept going for what felt like all night, but probably was no more than a few minutes. Jack arched his chest again and moved a shaky hand down to touch himself, wrapping his legs tightly around Gabe’s hips and rubbed his dick against Gabe’s belly while he worked it. He turned his  cheek against the pillow and moaned his name again, trembling and going over, dripping cum on himself. He panted like he had ran a mile, keeping his tight hold on Gabe, who groaned as he felt Jack’s orgasm go through his body, and followed suit soon after. They hadn’t spoken about it beforehand, and it was probably pretty rude to just go for it, but he was lost in the moment and knew he was clean, so he didn’t pull out when he came. There were no protests from Jack, however; who just moaned and whined, grabbing the back of Gabe’s head and pulling him into a clumsy kiss. Gabe wobbled on his knees and hooked a leg around Jack’s hip, laying gently onto his side, not wanting to crush him. Jack immediately curled against Gabe’s belly, still panting and cooling off. Gabe gently pet his hair and rubbed his cheek with his thumb, and felt an overwhelming need to cry, which alarmed him. He was never a post-sex cryer, and he choked it down best he could. Jack was not so desperate to hide his feelings, and let tears drop down his cheek. Gabe rubbed them away and craned his neck to kiss his eyelids, mumbling quietly.  
“Are you alright? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” to which Jack shook his head forcefully.  
“No, I’m sorry. I’m just a little overwhelmed. I’m okay.” and Gabe wrapped his arms around Jack’s shoulders, pulling him tightly into a hug.  
“It’s okay, _cariño_ . Me too.” and there was silence again. Gabe thought Jack had fallen asleep but he broke the silence under his breath.  
“I haven’t fucked since I got stateside,” he began, taking a slow breath. Gabe blushed and wished he could say the same for himself. So many wasted hours with strangers. “And I’m really glad it was with you.” he finished. Gabe blushed even darker, and he felt like his ears were going to ignite. He leaned down again and nuzzled against his cheek, peppering him with kisses.  
“I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else right now,” he promised. He felt so close to Jack, holding him like this was almost like they were melting together.  
“Goodnight, Gabe.” Jack hummed softly. Gabe squeezed him tighter for a moment and sighed drowsily. Tomorrow wasn’t going to be fun, but for this one minute, everything was perfect.  
“Goodnight, Jack.”


End file.
